72 Spring Street

also 78 Spring Street, 65 Crosby Street | SoHo | built 1908

Open on the map4 entries

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

1. 1907

   Charles I. Berg, who designed the loft, also co-designed the American Museum of Natural History

   Berg was born in Philadelphia and studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He formed a partnership with J. Cleveland Cady in 1880 and became best known as a partner in Cady, Berg & See, which designed the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Opera House that stood at Broadway and 39th Street. He designed the twelve-story loft at 72-78 Spring Street in 1907 to 1908 and died in 1926.

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

2. 1908

   A twelve-story loft by Charles Berg replaces older brick buildings at 72-78 Spring Street

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   Charles Berg designed this Renaissance Revival loft for John E. Olsen, and it was built in 1907 and 1908 on a site that had held several brick buildings from the 1800s. It was among the first in the SoHo-Cast Iron district extension to pass ten stories. The Landmarks Preservation Commission links the height to the opening of the IRT subway nearby, which raised land values and made taller buildings attractive.

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

3. 1941

   Petit Frocks and other garment and goods makers rent space at 72 Spring Street, 1914 to 1966

   The building's early tenants were garment and consumer goods makers. They included the Fair Waist & Dress Co. in 1914, makers of toilet articles, gloves and hosiery in 1925, and the Chapman Valve Manufacturing Co. in 1936. Petit Frocks occupied space from 1941 to 1966, and Gruber Bros. made fluorescent light fixtures there in 1948.

   “Petit Frocks (1941-66); Gruber Bros., fluorescent light fixtures (1948)…”

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

4. 1990

   Magnum Photos and later Poets' House are listed as tenants of the loft at 72 Spring Street

   After the factories left, the building took on creative and professional tenants. The LPC report names Mark Printing in 1973, Magnum Photos, the photographers' cooperative, in 1990, the furniture seller Portico Home in 1998, and Poets' House in 2006. By then the building had been converted to offices, though it kept its original facade.

   “Mark Printing (1973); Magnum Photos. Inc. (1990); Portico Home, furniture (1998); and Poets’ House (2006)…”

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Nearby

• A.I.R. Gallery building63 Crosby Street | 3 entries
• 59 Crosby Street2 entries
• 55 Crosby Street (former New York Edison powerhouse)55 Crosby Street | 2 entries
• 71 Spring Street2 entries
• 53 Crosby Street2 entries
• Former Con Edison substation214 Lafayette Street | 4 entries

All 736 buildings with stories in SoHo