Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company
The Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company, commonly referred to as the Eagle Warehouse, is a building located in Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman and completed in 1894, it had a number of uses before being converted into apartments in 1980. Described as a "masterpiece", the building is part of the Fulton Ferry District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and designated a New York City landmark in 1977.[1]
Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company
Originally a warehouse; converted to apartments, 1980
28 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
1893
1894
1978-1980
$300,000
$3,000,000
8 stories
P. J. Carlin
Bernard Rothzeid
Rothzeid Kaiserman & Thomson
History[edit]
The site on which the Eagle Warehouse is located formerly belonged to the Brooklyn Eagle, a well-known local newspaper. From 1846 to 1848, the paper's editor was Walt Whitman.[2]
In the late 19th century the Brooklyn Eagle moved its offices to a different location. The site was subsequently purchased by the Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company, whose name was probably derived from that of the Brooklyn Eagle. Prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman was commissioned to build a new fireproof warehouse on the site. The warehouse, which was constructed around the old Brooklyn Eagle pressroom,[2] was completed in 1894 at a cost of $300,000 including furnishings.[3]
The Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company used the warehouse primarily to store furniture and silverware, the latter kept in giant fireproof vaults in the basement.[4][5] In 1906, Freeman added a seven-story extension to the east side, which is "entirely in character" with the original building.[5] Between 1904 and 1928, part of the warehouse was used as the headquarters of the Brooklyn Law School.[2]
The warehouse played a minor role in the city's political history when it became one of three Brooklyn locations used to store the ballots, pending a recount, of the contested 1905 Mayoral election between George B. McClellan, Jr. and newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who accused his victorious opponent of fraud. The case was to drag on for years, with Hearst posting guards to protect the ballot boxes, before finally losing his bid to have the election result overturned.
The building was subsequently used for a variety of purposes. In 1977, it became part of the Fulton Ferry Historic District, a city historic district designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.[5] In 1980, the building was "expertly"[6] renovated into condominiums by Brooklyn architect Bernard Rothzeid for the sum of $3,000,000, including the $530,000 purchase price.[7] In 2021, one of the building's 85 apartments was sold for $2,500,000.[8]
Notes
Bibliography