Snowstorm on Avenue A, ca. 1888. This is possibly the aftermath of Great Blizzard of 1888, a March snowstorm that lasted three days and froze transport across the Northeast. In New York City, frozen and broken telephone and telegraph lines created hazardous conditions, with exposed wires and infrastructure (poles, etc.) obstructing street and sidewalk traffic, as seen above. The building at far left (with Meltzer Bros. beer advertisement) is likely 225 Avenue A at the southwest corner of 14th Street. In the background at center is the 14th Street station of the Second Avenue El, which ran over First Avenue between Houston and 23rd Streets.

223-225 Avenue A Building Date : 1951 Original Use : Commercial Original Owner : Fleetwood Syndicate Inc. Original Architect : Charles E. Greenberg Description & Building Alterations According to the Office for Metropolitan History, the new building application for this one-story commercial building was filed in 1949 and construction was completed in 1951. The storefronts have been through various alterations. In the early 20th century, this lot housed at least two five-story buildings consisting of stores and tenements.