David Carey was a prolific Jewish actor in the Yiddish Theater.

Hebrew Actors' Union Building ca. 1978 With its stark Neo-Classical facade, the small but mighty building Hebrew Actors' Union building stands out on a block full of brick. From 1923 to 2002, the building housed the Hebrew Actors’ Union (HAU). Although they officially disbanded years ago, the HAU still owns the building. While primarily consisting of members from New York City, and more specifically from the nearby Jewish theater district on Second Avenue, the union also served Jewish actors across the country. As the union’s home for nearly 80 years, the HAU is an integral part of East Village history. Let’s take a closer look at this cultural gem. Although we’re looking at a 1978 facade, some of the bones of this building are even older. As tax records we have on file indicate, the original rowhouse that stood here likely dated to about 1848. It almost certainly had a stoop, too. Converting from single- to multi-family later in the decade (we’re guessing it became a tenementized rowhouse as the area’s immigrant population grew and grew), the building received its makeover just as the Hebrew Actors’ Union took over. Architect Victor Mayper was commissioned to give the building a 20th century update. His Neo-Classical design put a fresh face on a brick-heavy neighborhood and was likely a bright spot for many actors who passed through its doors. Overall, the building has held up well over the years, don’t you think? The LPC had actually proposed it for individual landmark designation and held a hearing in 2009 at which GVSHP testified in support. However, it ultimately became part of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District almost a year ago now. Here’s what the designation report has to say about the building’s notable history: The Hebrew Actors’ Union (HAU) was founded in 1888, making it the first theatrical union founded in the United States. With a peak membership of 400 members, the HAU was the organizing force behind some dozen Yiddish theaters in New York and in other major American cities. In this way, the building at 31 East 7th Street, home to the HAU for nearly eight decades, is an enduring reminder of the Yiddish theater, one of the most important cultural institutions of New York City’s Jewish community in the early 20th century.

31 East 7th Street Building Date : 1848-50/1923 alt. Original Use : Residential (1848), Institutional (1923) Original Owner : Chatfield Smith (1848), Hebrew Actors' Union (1923) Original Architect : Unknown (1848), Victor Mayper (1923) Description & Building Alterations Tax records indicate that this four-story building was erected between 1848 and 1850. The Hebrew Actors’ Union Building is an enduring reminder of one of the most important cultural institutions of New York City’s Jewish community in the early 20th century – the Yiddish theater. By the turn of the 20th century, New York was established as the world’s center for Yiddish theater, which had become an integral part of Jewish cultural life on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The Hebrew Actors’ Union (HAU) was founded in 1899, making it the first theatrical union created in the United States, predating the renowned Actors’ Equality Association by more than two decades. With a peak membership of about 400 members in 1927, the HAU was the organizing force behind some dozen Yiddish theaters in New York and other major cities. Although this building dates to the 19th century, the current character and appearance of the building result from alterations undertaken in 1923 when the union moved into the building. Victor Mayper, a prolific New York architect and engineer, designed these alterations that included changing a ground floor window to create an additional front entrance and adding an extra 18 feet to the rear of the building. Mayper, who practiced International Style Modernism, gave the building its stark, white facade with neoclassical details, and a balustrades parapet. The carved inscription “Hebrew Actors’ Union” incised just beneath the cornice was apartment also acquired around this time. The HAU officially disbanded in 2005, but the organization still holds ownership of the Hebrew Actors’ Union Building, which is presently a repository of old photographs and files and is occasionally used as a meeting space. The New York YIVO Institute for Jewish Research restored the materials with a grant from the Los Angeles philanthropist Eli Broad.