Spear and Company Factory

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Spear and Company Factory
Spears Building Cell Tower.jpeg
Looking west into interior view of cellular tower infrastructure
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Location94-15 100th Street., Queens, New York City
Coordinates 40°41′19″N73°50′38″W / 40.68861°N 73.84389°W / 40.68861; -73.84389
Built1906
Architectural styleCast-in-place reinforced concrete
NRHP reference No. 100001807
Added to NRHPNovember 17, 2017

The Spear Building is an 85,000-square-foot, four-story building that was a hat factory and wax novelty manufacturer in its 1920s heyday. It is located at 94-15 100th Street, between 94th and 95th Avenues one block from in the Woodhaven neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and is best known as the location of the Worksman Cycles Factory, a manufacturer of iconic pushcarts, tricycles and heavy duty bicycles.

Contents

The building was listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places in 2017. [1] The same year, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as an example of an intact early 20th-century reinforced concrete factory complex.

Original use

The Regal Hat company of Chicago and the Spear Company of New York merged on May 1, 1920, to be known as the Regal-Spear Co., manufacturers of cloth headwear and children's novelties. The Spear company experienced labor unrest later in 1920 when the labor force was locked out of the Woodhaven factory in Ozone Park, Queens. [2] At the time the company was listed as serving 22,000 customers.

The factory building on 100 St., was once home to Regal-Spear Co., which produced hats and was touted as the largest cloth headwear house in the world. It was also home to the Columbia Wax Products Co., a manufacturer of novelty candles. It was later home to the Worksman bicycle manufacturer. [3] Constructed in 1906 for Spear & Company, was one of the first cast-in-place concrete structures in New York City. [4]

Present

Spears Factory Building 100st.jpeg

A report prepared by Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting, [5] a landmark preservation group, described the building's architecture and stated its historical value qualified it for historic registry status. The report concluded, "The Spear & Company factory is not only significant for embodying the practical benefits of reinforced-concrete factory construction, but also for its simplicity and utility as exhibited by a restrained eclectic utilitarian design." The designation, which is largely honorific, will help ensure the former Hat factory's long-term preservation. [6]

The status also makes property owners eligible for tax credits to rehabilitate the structures. [7] State Rehabilitation Tax Credits in New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland offer state tax credits as an added incentive for rehabilitating National Register listed properties. In New York State, for example, owners of commercial properties or owner-occupied residential properties listed on the National Register that are located in eligible census tracts have the potential to capture 20% after-tax credits for qualified rehabilitative expenses related to their property's redevelopment. [8] [9]

Spears Factory Building 95ave.jpeg

Andrew Cuomo, New York state governor designated the site eligible for historical status in 2017 along with 20 others, announcing "The Empire State proudly celebrates its diverse culture and rich heritage, and with the addition of these significant sites to the Registers of Historic Places, we will continue to honor all of the great things that make New York, New York," The statement had designated 21 sites around New York state. "Listing these landmarks will honor the contributions made by so many New Yorkers throughout our vast history, and helps advance efforts to preserve and improve these important historic sites for future generations."

The city Economic Development Corp. announced in 2016 the site will be rehabilitated to accommodate 24 businesses and 80 skilled workers due to a $10 million grant and $3.7 million loan from the EDC. [10]

The businesses that will work out of the space are expected to employ woodworkers, set builders, metal workers, home goods manufacturers and more at an average salary of $51,500 per year, based on EDC projections.

Cell tower

The site is also home to a 95-foot tall cellular re-transmission tower that stands above the surrounding wood-frame homes and trees of the adjacent abandoned right of way of the Rockaway Beach Branch. The gutting of the interior was completed, and new roofing was installed in July 2018. The building will be LEED certified and will incorporate 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of photovoltaic panels to offset tenants' electrical costs. Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center has acquired $40 million in funding to complete the rehabilitation. The site will be called the GMDC Ozone Park Industrial Center. [11]

Related Research Articles

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value". A property listed in the National Register or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Trust for Historic Preservation</span> US nonprofit organization for historic preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support the preservation of America’s diverse historic buildings, neighborhoods, and heritage through its programs, resources, and advocacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozone Park, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts World Casino & Hotel. Traditionally home to a large Italian-American population, Ozone Park has grown to have many residents of Caribbean, Hispanic, and Asian backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodhaven, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Woodhaven is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the north by Park Lane South and Forest Park, on the east by Richmond Hill, on the south by Ozone Park and Atlantic Avenue, and the west by the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Hill, Queens</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Richmond Hill is a commercial and residential neighborhood located in the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. The area borders Kew Gardens and Forest Park to the north, Jamaica and South Jamaica to the east, South Ozone Park to the south, and Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west. The neighborhood is split between Queens Community Board 9 and 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Economic Development Corporation</span> Nonprofit long-term business attractor

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is a nonprofit corporation whose stated mission is to "strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors, with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation</span>

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is the United States' largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organization with more than 8,000 members. Founded in 1973 by Mary Gregory Jewett and others, the Trust is committed to preserving and enhancing Georgia's communities and their diverse historic resources for the education and enjoyment of all.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnyside Gardens, Queens</span> United States historic place

Sunnyside Gardens is a community within Sunnyside, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The area was the first development in the United States patterned after the ideas of the garden city movement initiated in England in the first decades of the twentieth century by Ebenezer Howard and Raymond Unwin, specifically Hampstead Garden Suburb and Letchworth Garden City.

Woodhaven Boulevard and Cross Bay Boulevard are two parts of a major boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. Woodhaven Boulevard runs roughly north–south in the central portion of Queens. South of Liberty Avenue, it is known as Cross Bay Boulevard, which is the main north–south road in Howard Beach. Cross Bay Boulevard is locally known as simply "Cross Bay", and Woodhaven Boulevard, "Woodhaven". The completion of the boulevard in 1923, together with the construction of the associated bridges over Jamaica Bay, created the first direct roadway connection to the burgeoning Atlantic Ocean beachfront communities of the Rockaway Peninsula from Brooklyn and most of Queens.

The history of the National Register of Historic Places began in 1966 when the United States government passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which created the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Upon its inception, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) became the lead agency for the Register. The Register has continued to grow through two reorganizations, one in the 1970s and one in 1980s and in 1978 the NRHP was completely transferred away from the National Park Service, it was again transmitted to the NPS in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East End Historic District (Newburgh, New York)</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The East End Historic District in Newburgh, New York, United States is the lower portion of what state and city officials recognize as a single historic district along with the Montgomery-Grand-Liberty Streets Historic District. Its 445 acres (2 km2) contain 2,217 buildings, including Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill conversion</span>

Mill Conversion or mill rehab is a form of adaptive reuse in which a historic mill or industrial factory building is restored or rehabilitated into another use, such as residential housing, retail shops, office, or a mix of these non-industrial elements (mixed-use).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannon Building (Troy, New York)</span> United States historic place

The Cannon Building in Troy, New York is located on Broadway between First and State streets. It is the oldest building on Monument Square. It was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and built in 1835. In 1970 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District, listed on the Register in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worksman Cycles</span>

Worksman Cycles is a family-owned American manufacturer of bicycles and tricycles for industrial, commercial and recreational use. The company was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Ozone Park in the borough of Queens in New York City. Previously in the Spear Building the company also operates an additional factory in Conway, South Carolina. Worksman is the oldest bicycle manufacturer in the United States and has operated its own factory-direct e-commerce store since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipper Building</span> United States historic place

The Nipper Building is a colloquial name for The Victor condominiums, and formerly, Building 17, RCA Victor Company, Camden Plant. The structure is a historical building located in Cooper Grant neighborhood of Camden, Camden County, New Jersey, United States. Since 1901, Camden was the headquarters of the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Victor. Originally a Victrola cabinet factory, the building was converted into luxury apartments and retail space in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenpoint Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

Greenpoint Historic District is a national historic district in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, New York. It consists of 363 contributing commercial and residential buildings built between 1850 and 1900. It includes both substantial and modest row houses and numerous walk-up apartment buildings, as well as a variety of commercial buildings including the former Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory, six churches, and two banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation</span> Community organization

The Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation (GREC) is a consortium of neighborhood organizations in North Brooklyn that serves to facilitate and advocate the activities for city initiatives, as well as coordinate community involvement in the neighborhood of the former Greenpoint Hospital Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olde Woolen Mill</span> United States historic place

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<i>The Queens Ledger</i>

The Queens Ledger is a weekly newspaper headquartered in the Woodside section of Queens, New York City, for 140-years. The news group publishes eight weekly newspapers, including The Greenpoint Star, Brooklyn Downtown Star, The Leader Observer of Woodhaven, Glendale Register, Astoria/LIC Journal, Forest Hills Times, and Queens Examiner.

Richmond Hill Historic District is a national historic district in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York. It is bounded to the north by Park Lane South, to the east by 118th Street, to the south by Myrtle Avenue. The district includes 200 contributing buildings built between 1890 and 1915 next to the former South Side Railroad line and the Richmond Hill station at Hillside Avenue, shaped roughly like a triangle. They consist mainly of architectural styles dating back to an earlier time of Academic Eclecticism in home building and were constructed for railroad commuters. Most of the contributing properties were planned as suburbs to Brooklyn and Manhattan. It also included smaller houses built between 1917 and 1930 at the beginning of the Great Depression.

References

  1. "Historical NY innovators get National Register nods". Innovate Long Island. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  2. The American Hatter. 1919. pp. 3–.
  3. The American Hatter. 1919. pp. 33–.
  4. "GMDC Ozone Park Industrial Center – Projects – Beyer Blinder Belle". www.beyerblinderbelle.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  5. Friedman, Laura (2016-09-02). "Preservation Consultant Gregory Dietrich on a Unique Path to a Unique Career". CityLand. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  6. "Garnerville Arts gets landmark status". lohud.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  7. "Is this Ozone Park factory historic?".
  8. "Historic Tax Credits / Preservation Grants ~ Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting". www.gdpreservationconsulting.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2018-07-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Grossman, Matt (2017-12-06). "Nonprofit Developer Secures $40M Financing for Queens Factory Project". Commercial Observer. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  11. "NYCEDC and Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center to Bring Modern Industrial Workspace to Ozone Park, Queens". NYCEDC. Retrieved 2019-06-21.