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Garfield Building (New York City)The Garfield Building was located at 26 Court Street,[1] at Remsen Street,[2] in Brooklyn, New York.[3] It was built by contractor William Lamb, who was originally from Glasgow, Scotland. Together with his brother Thomas, the builders began their careers with the firm W&T Lamb, starting in 1861.[4] The seven-story Garfield Building was offered in an auction by the Brooklyn Real Estate Exchange in January 1906. The lot covered 100 feet by 150 feet on Remsen Street.[5][6] It was near Borough Hall, the court house, Temple Bar, Hall of Records, the borough's first subway station, and the heart of the financial center.[7] Description and historyThe building was constructed by tea merchant Abiel Abbot Low, the father of future New York City mayor Seth Low, in 1881.[5][6] The structure, designed by J. C. Cady of the then-separate city of New York, replaced four brick buildings on Court Street and three on Remsen Street.[5] The Garfield Building was eight stories high and measured 121.5 ft (37.0 m) high, with a clock tower at the corner of Court and Remsen Streets. It was designed in the Italian Renaissance style, with a facade of brownstone on its first two stories and Philadelphia brick and terracotta on its upper stories, as well as a red-tiled roof.[6] Inside were 279 offices (illuminated by a light court), two elevators, and a law library.[5][6] In the late 19th century the structure often served as a meeting place for railroad officials and the Brooklyn Republican Campaign Committee.[2] Colonel Charles L. Fincke, of the 23rd Regiment of the United States National Guard, maintained an office at the Garfield Building.[8] It also was home to lawyers.[9] The Garfield Building was razed after a period of building inactivity following World War I. City departments were moved to a new Municipal Building and the Court Remsen Building.[10] The Chanin Construction Company, led by Irwin Chanin, bought the building from the Childs Restaurants chain for $1.3 million and announced plans in 1924 to construct a 26-story building on the site for $4 million.[11] The developer, the 26 Court Street Corporation, filed a lawsuit later that year, which sought to overturn an old covenant that banned development within 8 ft (2.4 m) of the sidewalk on Court Street.[12] The dispute was prolonged because many neighboring property owners opposed the proposed annulment of the covenant.[13] By May 1925, the Chanin Construction Company was demolishing the edifice.[6][14] During demolition, several workers were nearly killed after the building partially collapsed.[6] References
40°41′36″N 73°59′27″W / 40.69329°N 73.99079°W
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