Two Anachronisms

I avoid the use of the word “holdout” in discussing older buildings now surrounded by newer ones. It implies a drama that may never have existed. In this case, the west block-front of Trinity Place between Edgar and Rector Streets provides a nice contrast of building ages. From south to north, the 1810 Dickey House, very heavily renovated over the last ten years, the 2020 77 Greenwich Street, 42 Trinity Place (the first of my mystery buildings), 44 Trinity Place (the second mystery building, although not much of a mystery) and the 2023 Hotel Indigo. The block is known to a lot of people who lived in New York before 2010 for the Syms clothing store that was demolished to create the site of 77 Greenwich. 42 Trinity was, I believe, connected to and part of Syms.

That’s 77 Greenwich on the left, Hotel Indigo on the right, and two little buildings left over in the middle. Note that 77 Greenwich cantilevers over 42 Trinity, which is almost always a sign that the development air-rights were sold to the new building. I don’t know if the air-rights to 44 Trinity were sold to the Indigo, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

The not-much mystery building at 44 Trinity was constructed circa 1880 as a stable for American Express back when it was still an express company, delivering packages. A nice discussion from Daytonian in Manhattan: here. It was extended to its current height in 1906 and except for a spectacularly ugly storefront is pretty much the same on the outside.

The single-lot building at 42 Trinity is a better mystery, so much so that without serious research I’ve pretty much got to the end of what I’m going to find. The facade makes it look like the building was expanded from 4 to 7 seven stories. Here it is in 1905, listed as 5 stories plus a basement, with the American Express stable just to its north, and an Adams Express stable – the future Syms store, I believe – to its south:

In 1894, pretty much the same, but it’s labelled as a chemical works.

In 1857, Trinity Place had not yet been extended through to Greenwich Street on the south or connected to Church Street on the north, so its numbering was different. We’re looking at 56 Trinity/81 Greenwich, next to the already-built Adams Express stable. It appears that whatever was there has been demolished: I think the pencilled X means the lot was vacant at that time.

And in 1855, before the Adams stable was built, there’s something there, but no real info:

Trinity Place, when it was short, was a high-end residential enclave. The Dickey House is the last remnant of that. As that use moved north, some houses were converted to multiple dwellings and industrial uses (like stables and chemical works) moved in. So 42 Trinity appears to be mid-1800s industrial building, expanded vertically at least once, after 1906, and maybe that before as well. And it may be with us forever now, since the sale of its air-rights means there’s no economic reason to demolished it, since a replacement can’t be any bigger.