79 Walker Street

Civic Center | built 1869

Open on the map5 entries

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

1. 1868

   St. Matthew's Lutheran Church is torn down for two Henry Fernbach loft buildings

   St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, built in 1821, stood on the site and ran St. Matthew's Academy, where evening German classes were advertised in 1850. In 1868 Mayer and Simon Sternberger razed the church and hired Henry Fernbach to design the marble-faced loft at 79 Walker Street. A nearly identical building went up next door at No. 81 for J. L. Seasongood, who had bought that lot, also owned by the church.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

2. 1877

   May

   Bids for Indian Service supplies are opened at 79 Walker Street

   In May 1877 the Commissioner of Indian Affairs moved the opening of bids for Indian supplies to 79 Walker Street from 40 Leonard Street. The contracts covered 55 million pounds of beef on the hoof, 30,000 Mackinac blankets and 5.5 million pounds of flour, with sugar and rice bids taken in August. Most of the building was occupied by dry goods and apparel firms, which made the office an unusual tenant.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

3. 1900

   Small factories fill 79 Walker Street around 1900, some with children on the payroll

   Around 1900 the building held makers of apparel, trimmings and other goods. Carl Lindemann & Co., makers of window shades, employed 19 men and 3 women on 60-hour weeks. Scheinberg & Son, a large maker of suspender trimmings, had 75 employees, 23 of them children. Another tenant made hats and caps.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

4. 1979

   October

   The Labor Department files sweatshop charges against garment shops including one at 79 Walker Street

   In October 1979 the New York Times reported that 85 actions charging sweatshop conditions had been filed against Chinatown-area garment factories. T. & L. Sportswear, which ran a shop on an upper floor of 79 Walker Street, was among them. A regional Labor Department official said there was evidence of exploitation of Chinese workers.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

5. 1984

   Art in General, a nonprofit gallery, takes the ground floor

   By 1984 Art in General, a nonprofit art gallery, had opened on the ground floor of the old factory building. The 2013 book Art on Sight praised its exhibitions and events, which ranged from dance performances to shows using blueprint techniques. In 2016 Caspi Development began a restoration of the building for offices and retail.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

Further reading

• Henry Fernbach's 1869 Marble-Faced Factory Building at 79 Walker StreetDaytonian in Manhattan

Nearby

• 81 Walker Street2 entries
• 83 Walker Street1 entry
• 85 Walker Street5 entries
• Sullivan, Randolph & Budd Building80 White Street | 5 entries
• 87 Walker Street5 entries
• Andrew Kreps Gallery394 Broadway | 3 entries

All 64 buildings with stories in Civic Center