Demarest Building

The Demarest Building is situated on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, just east of the Empire State Building. It was designed by Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell.[1] It was constructed in 1889 and had the first two successful electric elevators installed in it.[2][3][4] It was on Fifth Avenue directly across the street from William Waldorf Astor’s mansion, where the Waldorf–Astoria hotels (and the Empire State Building) were built later. The Demarest Building housed the high-end carriage manufacturer A. T. Demarest & Company that sold luxury carriages to wealthy people in New York City. Some of those were William Backhouse Astor Jr., William Waldorf Astor, and John Jacob Astor II to which a higher road toll was commenced for owning these types of carriages.[1][5][6]

There were three mansion houses of brownstone construction previously at this location, with the addresses of 335, 337, and 339 Fifth Avenue. The iron-framed building which Aaron T. Demarest had commissioned was built four stories high and originally had a stone-clad base. The exterior brick was buff-colored and had terracotta medallions and panels that accent the facade. The three-story arched openings are separated by brick pilasters on the front of the building. The architects designed these arches with windows so the interior's showrooms were illuminated with plenty of light. The original two-story windows were cast metal bays built within the building's front arches. The building, with its large arches, is said to resemble Carnegie Hall.[1]

On July 26, 1893, a fire broke out in the Demarest Building, destroying many of the luxury carriages manufactured and stored there. The fire started about 3 in the morning from unknown causes. It was estimated that there was damage of about $5,000 (equivalent to $150,796 in 2021) to the building and a loss of about $25,000 (equivalent to $753,981 in 2021) in carriage merchandise.[7] At the time there were over 200 high-end carriages in the building. The fire destroyed twenty carriages in the repair shop and damaged the others throughout the building to one degree or another. The fire was fueled by the seasoned wood, paints, oils, and varnishes used in production. The noise of the fire engines woke up guests at the Hotel Waldorf, across the street, who watched as the building burned in the conflagration. The fire was not extinguished until almost 6 A.M.[1][8]

The Demarest Building was later converted to offices and work areas for small manufacturers. In March 1913 Dr. Friedrich Franz Friedmann, a young Berlin physician who claimed to have a cure for tuberculosis, set up a medical practice on the second floor of the building. He was going to have a staff of New York physicians, diagnosticians, bacteriologists, and those associated with the US government to make the cure available to the public for little or no cost.[9] The building's leasing agent would not allow the doctor to treat patients there, and he ultimately moved to another location. Teitelbaum & De Marinis had a business on the third floor from 1911 to 1914 producing high-end headwear. From 1917, the ground floor space was used by the Harris Store to sell high-end men's clothing. The firm of Flapper Coats moved into the building in 1919. Going into the 1920s much of the building's space was used by apparel firms like La Grecque Underwear Company. The hat manufacturer Hirschberg & Company was located in the building as was the decorative glassware company E. & J. Bass, Inc.[1]

As of 2015, there were plans for developer Pi Capital Partners to replace the building and neighboring structures with a new residential tower.[10] In 2019, Pi Capital filed plans for a 26-story mixed-use development on the site of the Demarest Building,[11][12] with 82 apartments.[12] This prompted preservationists and groups, including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, to petition the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate the building as an official city landmark, thereby protecting it from demolition. The LPC expressed concern that the building's exterior had been altered too frequently throughout its history and the old building was not saved.[11][13] As of 2021, it is being replaced by a 21-story, 82-unit mixed-use building with commercial space at the base and up to five residential units on each floor.[14]