Ahrens Building

40 Franklin Street | also 70 Lafayette Street | Civic Center | built 1895

Open on the map4 entries

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1. 1895

   February 16

   Herman Ahrens builds a Romanesque Revival speculative office building

   Liquor merchant Herman F. Ahrens, who had owned the corner lots since 1879, developed this seven-story building after a threatened street-widening project put his properties at risk. Architect George H. Griebel combined polychrome brick, terra cotta, and a limestone base in the Romanesque Revival style, and six Sprague Electric elevators were installed by February 16, 1895.

   Source: Wikipedia

2. 1911

   The building hosts inquest hearings after the Triangle Shirtwaist fire

   In 1911, the city opened an inquest in the Ahrens Building's Coroners' Court into the Triangle Waist Company fire, which had killed more than 140 garment workers. The city had leased the building's third, fourth, and seventh floors from Ahrens's widow, Josephine, since the previous year for the Board of Coroners.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

3. 1968

   New owners convert the building's storage floors back to offices

   The Ahrens family retained ownership of the building for nearly 90 years until 1968, when Morris and Herbert Moskowitz acquired the property. The new owners converted the upper floors, used for storage since the 1940s, back into office space.

   Source: Wikipedia

4. 1992

   January 14

   The city designates the building a landmark

   New York City designated the Ahrens Building a landmark on January 14, 1992, recognizing George Griebel's polychrome brick-and-terra-cotta facade. Ground-floor tenants over the decades had included Peter's Bar & Grill in the 1940s and Doyle's Corner Pub in the 1960s.

   Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

• Ahrens BuildingWikipedia
• The 1895 Ahrens Bldg - Nos. 70-74 Lafayette StreetDaytonian in Manhattan

Nearby

• Hallenbeck-Hungerford Building (Lafayette Hall)80 Lafayette Street | 4 entries
• 83 White Street2 entries
• 54 Franklin Street4 entries
• 79 White Street5 entries
• Mudd Club building77 White Street | 5 entries
• 88 White Street4 entries

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