ACME Van Co., 240 W. 60th St. (2002)

There is also a sign on the west wall of this building. Click for view of side wall.

Also a Mack Sign Co. layout for the side wall. Click for layout.

The Mack Sign Co. painted these signs at least twice. Bob Middleton, who worked on it the first time with his father, Harry Middleton, in 1950 and the second time in 1963, writes: "Very windy job, blew the tray boards almost off the scaffold. The front panel was also done in 1963 by Mack. PS, the approx. size of the wall is 28 ft. deep X 100 ft. long. The strip sign [front panel] is approx. 8 ft. deep X 125 ft. long. Weather permitting approx. eight or nine days, with four men (YOUNG MEN)."

The building appears to have been built in 1920 as a 6-story "auto service center" (Office for Metropolitan History, "Manhattan NB Database 1900-1986," (June 2010), http://www.MetroHistory.com). Acme Van Co. moved here around 1950. They stayed at this location until going out of business around 1974.

The founder of Acme Van was "Louis A. DeStefanis (1905-1998). His death notice in the New York Times, 22 Jan. 1998, read, "DeSTEFANIS-Louis A. Who retired as an executive in the moving and storage industry in 1970, died Jan. 20 at the home of his son, John. He was 92 years old and lived in Southampton, New York. The cause of death was heart failure. Mr. DeStefanis established his own business, Acme Van Company, in Manhattan in 1925 and was a leader in the industry for the next 45 years. He was president of the City Movers Association in New York for many years and served from 1963 until his retirement on the Board of Directors of United Van Lines of Fenton, Missouri, for whom he was an agent for over twenty years. He was chairman of the New York Movers' Tariff Bureau and a director of the New York Furniture Warehousemen's Association. Mr. DeStefanis' wife, the former Ethel Engelman, died in 1975. He is survived by six children; three daughters, Pauline Julig of Kennesaw, GA, Rena Hines of Falmouth, MA and Linda Kofmehl of Greenwich, CT.; three sons, Thomas of Fernandina Beach, FL, John of Sagaponack, NY and Robert of Sag Harbor, NY; twelve grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. A brother, Ralph, of Amityville, NY also survives. Mass Thursday, January 23, 10:30A.M. St. Andrews RC Church, Sag Harbor. Interment Southampton Cemetery."

This ad for Acme Van Co. appeared in the Manhattan Yellow Pages, 1971.