The Decker Building (also the Union Building) is a commercial building located at 33 Union Square West in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The structure was completed in 1892 for the

Decker Brothers Decker Brothers was an American piano manufacturer that operated from 1865 until about 1900. It was founded by brothers David and John Decker, holders of many piano patents. Its headquarters were located in New York City New York, often ca ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

company, and designed by

John H. Edelmann John H. Edelmann (1852–1900) was a socialist-anarchist who worked as an architect in the office of Alfred Zucker, a successful commercial architect of the 1880s and 1890s in New York City. As an architect, Edelmann's sole surviving monument i ...

. From 1968 to 1973, it served as the location of the artist

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

's studio,

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's art studio in Manhattan, New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famous for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities, and ...

. The Decker Building was designated a

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

in 1988, and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2003.

Description

The building is only wide and deep on a lot that goes back . It has a right of way to 16th Street from the rear of the building. The style of the building mixes influences from Venice and Islamic traditions. There are numerous terra cotta details on the façade which remain today. There was a minaret on the roof which disappeared before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The building was valued at $285,000 in 1913, after which it was traded to settle debts.

History

The structure was built in 1892 for the

company according to designs by the radical anarchist architect

, working out of the offices of

Alfred Zucker Alfred J. R. E. Zucker (January 23, 1852 – August 2, 1913)
Guillermo ...

. It replaced the earlier Decker Building on the same lot, designed by

Leopold Eidlitz Leopold Eidlitz (March 10, 1823, in Prague, Bohemia – March 22, 1908, in New York City) was an American architect based in New York. He is best known for his work on the New York State Capitol (Albany, New York, 1876–1881), as well as " Ira ...

and built in 1869. On November 25, 1950, 27 year old Abraham Yeager was killed when a one-ton piece of cornice from the Decker Building collapsed onto the sidewalk where Yeager was walking.

Warhol years

In 1967, artist

had to move his

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

from East 47th Street after the previous building was torn down. Union Square at the time was a rundown neighborhood, but

Paul Morrissey Paul Joseph Morrissey (February 23, 1938 – October 28, 2024) was an American film director, known for his early association with Andy Warhol. His most famous films include ''Flesh (1968 film), Flesh'' (1968), ''Trash (1970 film), Trash'' (197 ...

had found the loft, in the Decker Building, and Warhol agreed to move there. While Morrissey was stripping wood at the Factory, a young man named Jed Johnson delivered

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

telegram in 1968. Morrissey hired him on the spot to help out with the refinishing of the space. Johnson subsequently moved in with Warhol and became his longtime partner. On June 3, 1968,

Valerie Solanas Valerie Jean Solanas (April 9, 1936 – April 25, 1988) was an American radical feminist known for her attempt to murder the artist Andy Warhol in 1968. Solanas appeared in the Warhol film '' I, a Man'' (1967) and self-published the '' SCU ...

visited the Factory to look for Warhol, who she felt was taking control of her screenplay away from her. She then shot Warhol three times, seriously wounding him, as well as art critic and curator

Mario Amaya Mario Amaya (October 6, 1933 – June 29, 1986) was an American art critic, museum director and magazine editor, and (1972–1976) director of the New York Cultural Center and (1976–1979) the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. He ...

. The Factory previously had an open door policy, meaning that anybody could enter. However, following the shooting, Johnson installed a

Dutch door A Dutch door (American English), stable door (British English), or half door (Hiberno-English) is a door divided in such a fashion that the bottom half (the hatch) may remain shut while the top half opens. They were known in early New Englan ...

and built a wall around the elevator, requiring guests to buzz in. Around 1970, Warhol had a video camera system built to tape his visitors and document the activities around the studio. In 1973, Warhol moved the Factory to 860 Broadway, a short distance away, and created the Warhol Time Capsules while packing up.

Refurbishment

The building was completely refurbished into apartments by

Joseph Pell Lombardi Joseph Pell Lombardi is a New York City-based architect and real estate investor. Born in New York City where he spent his childhood, Lombardi moved to Irvington, New York for his high-school years. He received his Bachelor of Architecture degree ...

in 1995. In 2015,

Dylan's Candy Bar Dylan's Candy Bar is a chain of boutique candy shops and candy supplier currently located in New York City; East Hampton, New York; and Los Angeles, as well as several US airports and in wholesale venues around the globe. It is owned by Dylan La ...

opened a ground-floor storefront in the building, which closed in 2021.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Andy Warhol Chelsea, Manhattan Commercial buildings completed in 1892 New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Union Square, Manhattan 1892 establishments in New York City

Description

History

Warhol years

Refurbishment

See also

References