Decker Building

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Decker Building
Decker Building (54573153757).jpg
Seen in 2025, with the Bank of the Metropolis at left
Decker Building
Location33 Union Square West,
New York, New York
Coordinates 40°44′12″N73°59′27″W / 40.7368°N 73.9908°W / 40.7368; -73.9908
Built1893
Architect John H. Edelmann
Architectural styleLate 19th and early 20th century American movements
NRHP reference No. 03001179 [1]
NYCL No.1538
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 2003
Designated NYCLJuly 12, 1988

The Decker Building (also the Union Building) is a commercial building located at 33 Union Square West in Manhattan, New York City. The structure, designed by John H. Edelmann for the Decker Brothers piano company, was completed in 1892. [2] From 1968 to 1973, it served as the location of the artist Andy Warhol's studio, The Factory. [3] The Decker Building was designated a New York City landmark in 1988, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [4]

Contents

Description

The building is only 33 feet (10 m) wide and 138 feet (42 m) deep on a lot that goes back 150 feet (46 m). [5] It has a right of way to 16th Street from the rear of the building. The style of the building mixes influences from Venice and Islamic traditions. There are numerous terra cotta details on the façade which remain today. There was a minaret on the roof which disappeared before World War II.

The building was valued at $285,000 in 1913, after which it was traded to settle debts. [6]

History

The structure was built in 1892 for the Decker Brothers piano company according to designs by the radical anarchist architect John H. Edelmann, working out of the offices of Alfred Zucker. It replaced the earlier Decker Building on the same lot, designed by Leopold Eidlitz and built in 1869. [2]

On November 25, 1950, 27 year old Abraham Yeager was killed when a one-ton piece of cornice from the Decker Building collapsed onto the sidewalk where Yeager was walking. [7]

Warhol years

In 1968, Andy Warhol relocated the Factory from East 47th Street after the building was slated for demolition. He moved to a loft in the Decker Building at 33 Union Square West, a then-declining area, after Paul Morrissey identified the space. [8] Warhol was drawn to the building's history and its proximity to Max's Kansas City, a favorite gathering place. [8] During preparations for the move, Jed Johnson, then a Western Union messenger, delivered a telegram to the Factory and was hired by Morrissey to assist with renovations. [8] Johnson later moved in with Warhol and became his longtime partner. [9]

On June 3, 1968, radical feminist Valerie Solanas shot and seriously wounded Warhol, also injuring curator Mario Amaya. [10] At the time, the Factory operated under an open-door policy, allowing unrestricted access. After the shooting, Johnson introduced security measures, including installing a Dutch door and enclosing the elevator with a wall that required visitors to buzz for entry. [11]

In the early 1970s, Warhol had assistants videotape visitors and document daily activity at the studio. [12] In 1974, he relocated the Factory to the nearby 860 Broadway building, and during the move, he began assembling what became known as the Warhol Time Capsules. [13]

Refurbishment

The building was completely refurbished into apartments by Joseph Pell Lombardi in 1995. [14] In 2015, Dylan's Candy Bar opened a ground-floor storefront in the building, [15] which closed in 2021. [16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 Gray, Christopher (December 18, 1994). "Streetscapes/33 Union Square West; Islamic/Venetian Sliver, With Minaret". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  3. ↑ Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2004). Guide to New York City Landmarks (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p.  72. ISBN   0-471-36900-4.
  4. ↑ Kathleen A. Howe (July 2003). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Decker Building. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 10, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
  5. ↑ "New York City Landmarks Presentation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  6. ↑ New York Times, June 16, 1916
  7. ↑ The New York Times November 26, 1950 (subscription required)
  8. 1 2 3 Warhol, Andy (1980). POPism: The Warhol '60s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. pp. 262–264. ISBN   978-0-15-173095-7.
  9. ↑ Patton, Elaina (March 10, 2022). "'The Andy Warhol Diaries' explores how the iconic artist was shaped by his great loves". NBC News. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ Shepard, Richard F. (June 4, 1968). "Warhol Gravely Wounded In Studio; Actress Is Held; Woman Says She Shot Artist, Who Is Given a 50–50 Chance to Live". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ O'Brien, Glenn (June–July 2008). "Pat Hackett". Interview. 38 (5): 106.
  12. ↑ Gopnik, Blake (July 11, 2016). "Michael Netter – Andy Warhol's Right-hand ... Eye". Artnet News. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Carnegie Museums, Jan/Feb 1996 issue". Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  14. ↑ Rozhon, Tracie (December 24, 1995). "Habitats: The Decker Building; Palm Beach to Union Sq". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  15. ↑ Settembre, Jeanette (August 30, 2015). "New York's sweets mogul Dylan Lauren opening a Dylan's Candy Bar in Union Square". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  16. ↑ Jones, Sasha (February 9, 2021). "Dylan's Candy Bar NYC Flagship Closed". The Real Deal. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
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