503 East 13th Street | Block : 407 | Lot #7502 Building Date : 1999 Original Use : Residential/Commercial Original Owner : Housing Preservation and Development Original Architect : Leslie Feder Description & Building Alterations The new condo building that stands here is contextual in its design, using bricks, stone-like details and a cornice in a manner similar to its neighbors. It houses some commercial space on the ground floor of the Avenue A side. A Certificate of Occupancy indicates that in 1962 the site was used as a parking lot. Before then, there was likely a 1904 tenement building designed by George Frederick Pelham.

540 East 13th Street | Block : 406 | Lot #24 Building Date : 1923 Original Use : Commercial Original Owner : Louis Levey Original Architect : Morris Whinston Description & Building Alterations The current building was constructed in 1923 by architect Morris Whinston as a one-story laundry, according to the Office for Metropolitan History. A 1915 photograph reveals that an earlier laundry building existed here previously.

The Eagle Pencil Company was one of the largest producers of No. 2 pencils in the early 20th century, employing thousands in New York City. In mid-1938 the company announced a 10% pay cut for all existing employees with an increased working schedule to 44 hours a week. On June 16th, 1938, 850 Eagle Pencil Workers walked out to demand a contract and restoration of the recent pay cut. The strike was recorded extensively by the Edwin Levick Studio, the leaders in the emerging spot news photography. The studio sold these photos to local newspapers around the city. The strike became well known and was even covered in the local Marxist paper, 'The Socialist Appeal,' arguing for public support for the union workers. The strike lasted seven weeks, ending on August 8th when the company agreed to welcome back all the striking employees and promised to reinstate their original pay.

539 East 12th Street Building Date : 1845 Original Use : Residential Original Owner : Joseph Stuyvesant Original Architect : Unknown Description & Building Alterations According to tax records, this modest three story brick row house was built in 1845. The bracketed cornice and parapet are unusual for this style, and both were likely added at a later date. The storefront has been altered over the years, but the entrance on the right seems to have retained a bracketed pediment.

Construction on the BMT Canarsie Line (L) at Avenue D, November 28, 1916.

Even pencil making can be a contentious business- On June 16th, 1938, the Eagle Pencil Workers went on strike!

My Archive Spring 2019