2641 Broadway, the only surviving 19th century wood-frame building on the Upper West Side, May 9, 1938.

When Henry Grimm completed a three-story wood-frame house in 1871, his was the only building on the block. Grimm, an entrepreneur, anticipated the development of the Upper West Side and decided to set up a grocery business to serve the residents who would arrive once paved roads, public transit, and other infrastructure reached the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, Grimm ran out of funds before his clientele arrived. The Italianate building was soon converted into the Boulevard House saloon, with rooms for rent upstairs. In 1894, the successful Lower East Side brewer Peter Doegler purchased Grimm’s building, keeping the saloon open to promote his popular German-style lager.

Following Prohibition, the ground floor cycled through retail businesses, including the cigar shop and grocery pictured above, while the upper stories were modified to support billboard advertisements. These alterations have damaged recent appeals for landmark designation.