Finck Building, 318-320 W. 39 St. (east wall) (2003)

Among others:
Eilert Printing
Murray Feiner Textiles
McGraw Phillips Printers
Reprostat Corp.

Ernest F. Eilert (1866-1943) was born in New York, attended public school, then went to work at the age of 14 as an office boy in the printing department of the magazine, Iron Age (a weekly publication concerned with hardware and the iron industry that ran from the 1870s into the 1980s). Eilert was active in politics, was president of the Twenty-second District Republican Club in New York, served on the New York City Board of Education under mayors Gaynor (1910-1913) and Mitchel (1914-1917), and ran for Borough President of Manhattan in 1921. (All this from Eilert's obituary in the New York Times, 27 June 1943, p. 32.)

Early in his career he became assistant manager of the David Williams Printing Co. He was also a manager, then president of the Blumenberg Press downtown on William St. from around 1897 to 1916. By 1913 he had founded his own company Eilert Printing Co., located initially at 218 William St., then moved in 1916 here at 318 W. 39th St. He brought with him a colleague, Alvin Louis Schmoeger (1884-1931), as sec-treas. of the new company. After the death of Marc A. Blumenberg (1861-1913), Schmoeger and Eilert had been partners in continuing Blumenberg's Musical Courier. ( The Musical Courier, covered music and drama from 1880 to 1962; it was issued weekly from 1880 to 1937.)

Ernest F. Eilert remained president of the Eilert Printing Co. into the 1930s. By 1920 he had brought his son Edwin H. Eilert (1895-?) into the business, and later by 1930 a second son William F. Eilert. The company survived for decades, finally closing in the mid-1980s. (Notice appeared in the New York Times 27 April 1986 of a bankruptcy sale for the printing plant at 318 W. 39th St.)

Murray Feiner Textiles was located here from 1950 to 1957/58.

McGraw-Phillips Printing Co. with a "LOngacre 3-[something] day & night" telephone number dates this sign to 1948 or later (before 1948 the number was MEdalion 3-3170). The company was founded around 1915. The original partners were Louis W. McGraw (1880-192?) and Burdette Phillips (1876-?). McGraw is identified as Louis Wiltse McGraw in his World War 1 draft registration dated 1918, but elsewhere named Louis William McGraw. His place of birth is also uncertain: he appears as born Kansas in the 1910 U S Census, but born Illinois in the 1920 census. McGraw died in the early 1920s. President of McGraw-Phillips in the 1922/23 New York City Directory is E. Hoyt McGraw. This is his widow, Effie Hoyt McGraw (1884-1981), who is listed in the U S Census of 1900 as Effa McGraw, a 16-year-old, living with her family in Clymer town, Chautauqua County, New York. McGraw's partner, Burdette Phillips, was also born into a farming family in Chautauqua County, NY. He appears in the 1900 U S Census as a 23-year-old, working as a teacher, and living in Cherry Creek town. One wonders if Burdette introduced Effie to his partner Louis McGraw. Clymer and Cherry Creek are in the same New York county (in the southwest corner of the state), but driving distance is nearly 50 miles. It may not have seemed so close in the early 1900s...

Initally McGraw-Phillips was located at 241 W. 37th St. The company moved to 318 W. 39th St. around 1937 and left 1966/67.

Reprostat was the registered trademark of G.S.O. Graphics, Inc., 318 W. 39th St., New York, NY 10018 (first use in commerce 1939; filing date 2 May 1980; cancelled 22 April 1988). Reprostat is listed in the New York City telephone directory at this address from 1948 to 1981.

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