Brown Building (Manhattan)

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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
(2011)
Location 23-29 Washington Pl, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates 40°43′48″N 73°59′45″W / 40.73000°N 73.99583°W / 40.73000; -73.99583Coordinates: 40°43′48″N 73°59′45″W / 40.73000°N 73.99583°W / 40.73000; -73.99583
Built 1900-01[1]
Architect John Woolley
Architectural style Neo-Renaissance
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 91002050
Significant dates
Added to NRHP July 17, 1991[2]
Designated NYCL March 25, 2003

The Brown Building is a ten-story building that is part of the campus of New York University (NYU). It is located at 23-29 Washington Place, between Greene Street and Washington Square East in Greenwich Village, New York City.

It was built in 1900-01, designed by John Woolley in the neo-Renaissance style.[1] It was originally named the Asch Building after its owner, Joseph J. Asch.[3]

The top three floors of the building were at one time occupied by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, which was the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that killed 146 garment workers on March 25, 1911. The fire led to wide-ranging legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. The building survived the fire and was refurbished. Three plaques on the southeast corner of the building commemorate the men and women who lost their lives in the fire.

NYU began to use the eighth floor of the building for a library and classrooms in 1916.[1] Real estate speculator and philanthropist Frederick Brown later bought the building and subsequently donated it to the university in 1929, where it was renamed as the Brown Building.[4][5][6][7] In 2002, the building was incorporated into the Silver Center for Arts and Science.[5]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was named a National Historical Landmark in 1991.[8][9] It was designated a New York City landmark in 2003.[10]

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Postal, Matthew A. (ed. and text); Dolkart, Andrew S. (text). (2009) Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.) New York:John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, pp.64-65
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  3. Historical plaque on the southeast corner of the Brown Building, facing Greene Street, placed by the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation in 2003.
  4. "Brown 8th Floor Directory". New York, NY: NYU. Retrieved 2012-03-25. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "NYU Campus Map". New York, NY: NYU. Retrieved 2012-03-25. 
  6. "175 Facts about NYU - Brown Building". New York, NY: NYU. Retrieved 2012-03-25. 
  7. "FAS Building Table". New York, NY: NYU. Retrieved 2012-03-25. 
  8. ["Triangle Shirtwaist Factory", September 26, 1989, by Page Putnam Miller PDF (687 kB) "National Register of Historic Places Registration"]. National Park Service. 1989-09-26. 
  9. [Triangle Shirtwaist Factory--Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, from 1989. PDF (210 kB) "National Register of Historic Places Registration"]. National Park Service. 1989-09-26. 
  10. Harris, Gale. "Brown Building (formerly Asch Building) Designation Report" New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (March 25, 2003)

External links

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