A. H. Feldman, Lipman & Myers, etc., 44 W. 28th St. near 6th Ave. (2003)
Each of the larger signs here is mirrored with a smaller version to the right of the line of windows towards the front of the building. Of the smaller signs only Lipman & Myers and Rosenthal Bros. were readable in 2003. Among the larger ones still readable were:
A. H. Feldman / Coats & Suits: Abraham H. Feldman lived at 178 Ludlow St., downtown on the East Side at the time of the U. S. Census of 1900. He was 28 years old, born Aug. 1871, Austria, immigrated 1892. He lived with his wife, Minnie, and 3 children of the time, William, 4, Rebecca, 2, and Solomon, 10 months. Minnie's birthplace was given as Russia. Abraham Feldman's occupation was "Tailor L[adies] Cloaks." Feldman was listed in New York city directories as a coats & suits manufacturer from 1906 to 1919. His business was located here at 44 W. 28th St. from 1914 to 1917.
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Lipman & Myers / Furriers: Lipman and Myers were Alfred Lipman (1870-?) and Julius Myers (1877-1962). Their partnership lasted from around 1903 until they left 44 W. 28th St. in 1926. They were located here from 1916 to 1926. Alfred Lipman was an immigrant from Russia and was in business as a furrier in New York by 1898. His petition for naturalization was filed 25 Jan 1900, and states that he arrived in the U. S. through the port of New York in June 1890. Witness to the petition is Julius Myers, furrier, living at the time at 108 E. 55th St. Julius Myers appears in the U. S. census of 1880 as the 3-year-old son of Louis Myers, a pawnbroker born Russia. The Myers family lived at the time at 239 3rd Ave. (near 20th St.), Manhattan. Among Julius Myers' siblings were, Rebecca, age 15, Rose, age 7, Maurice (also called Morris), age 5, and David, age 1 year, 6 months. These five seem to have lived together most of their lives, and can be found living together at 16 E. 96th St. in both the 1920 and 1930 U. S. censuses. David S. Myers (1878-1961) was a lawyer, and his obituary in the New York Times (7 Dec. 1961, p. 43) reads in part: "David S. Myers, a lawyer here since 1901, died yesterday at Polyclinic Hospital. He would have been 83 years old on Friday. Mr. Myers, who lived at 16 East Ninety-sixth Street, graduated from City College in 1899 and Columbia Law School in 1901. He was a partner with the late Abraham L. Sherwin for fifty-nine years with offices at 285 Madison Avenue and 1 East Forty-second Street... He is survived by a brother, Julius, and three sisters, Rose, Miriam and Mrs. Florence Feinberg."
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Ideal / Pleating: For Ideal Pleating see the next page.
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Howard / Ladies Apparel Mfg Co.: This company began as Greenfield & Cohen, 133 Greene St. in 1908. The founders were Jacob Greenfield (1875-?) and Isaac Cohen (1878-?). Later the same year the name changed to Howard Ladies Apparel Manufacturing Co. when Greenfield and Cohen were joined by Michael Bauman (1878-1953). I don't know why it was called Howard. I suspected this would derive from being located on Howard St. at an early date, but this does not appear to be the case. Howard Ladies Apparel was in business from 1908 to 1918. They were located at 44 W. 28th St. from 1916 to 1918. Bauman, Cohen and Greenfield all registered for the World War I draft in 1918. However, by the time Bauman registered (12 Sep. 1918), he was sales manager at the American Snap Fastener Co., 225 5th Ave. Jacob Greenfield was also employed at American Snap Fastener, although at a later date. American Snap Fastener had a factory on Whitlock Ave. (at 144th St.) in the Bronx and a sales office on 5th Ave. in Manhattan. President of American Snap Fastener was Simon Nager Jr. (1878-?). This company was in business from approx. 1915 to 1921. In Nov. 1918 Michael Bauman applied for a passport to travel to England and France in order "to sell for export snap fasteners manufactured in the United States." An affidavit to that effect was signed by Simon Nager Jr., president of American Snap Fastener Co. Inc., 225 Fifth Ave, NYC. The subsequent careers of these men have been difficult to trace. Michael Bauman appears in the U. S. Census of 1930, living at the Hamilton Hotel, 143 W. 73rd St. He gave his occupation as "Manager, Systematic Saving," which seems to have been a form of life insurance. In 1942 he registered for the World War II draft, age 63, retired, living at 121 W. 72nd St.
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Near the top oriented vertically on the right side is a fragment reading "thal Bros. Co." Only the Bros. Co. can be read clearly (click for detail). This is a sign for Rosenthal Bros., waist (blouse) manufacturers located here at 44 W. 28th St. from 1911 to 1921. The founders were Herman Rosenthal (1844-1914) and Max Rosenthal (1849?-?). They were immigrants from Germany whose business in laces, collars and rufflings can be traced back to 1879 on Lispenard St. (A ruffling is defined in Webster (1913) as a plaited collar - i.e., drawn into puckers or plaits.) Herman Rosenthal immigrated to the U. S. in the 1860s and he traveled to Europe frequently. His name appears on no less than 8 passport applications between the years 1898 to 1914. The last gives his age as 70 and was filed April, 1914, a few months before his death in Bad Nauheim, Germany, where he was born. (Bad Nauheim is a German city about 20 miles north of Frankfort-am-Main.)
Around 1904 the business was joined by Siegfried Rosenthal (1874-1944), when they were located at 42 Greene St., and when they had begun to manufacture shirt waists. Siegfried was possibly a nephew of Herman and Max Rosenthal. Like Herman Rosenthal he was born in Bad Nauheim, Germany, but he immigrated to the U. S. much later (in 1891). Siegfried Rosenthal founded his own blouse manufacturing business, Sig Rosenthal Co. in 1913. More about this business can be found at 3-5 E. 28th St.
In addition to Siegfried Rosenthal, the next generation of Rosenthals to join Rosenthal Bros. were Sidney Herman Rosenthal (1879-1936) and Arthur Chester Rosenthal (1884-1933). They were sons of Herman Rosenthal and native New Yorkers. Both men registered for the World War I draft in 1918 while employed at Rosenthal Bros., 44 W. 28th St. Shortly after, both changed their names to Rhodes. Sidney appears in the U. S. Census of 1920 as Sidney Rhodes, 40 W. 86th St. Arthur applied for a passport Sept. 1922 as Arthur Chester Rhodes, age 37, born 12 Sept. 1884, New York City. The passport specifies that his previous passport had been issued 7 June 1911 in the name Arthur C. Rosenthal.
From 1922 to 1929 Sidney Rosenthal/Rhodes was employed by Weber & Heilbroner, mens and boys haberdashers, at 215 4th Ave. Weber & Heilbroner were in business in New York from 1902 to 1979. They left a sign on the rear of the building at the northeast corner of 34th St. and Broadway (1302 Broadway). More information on this sign is speedily to be published. (Several years later, June 2011, informtion on Weber & Heilbroner is available at 6th Ave. bet. 34 & 35.) Sidney H. Rosenthal was the son-in-law of Hyman Sonn (1851-1929) of Sonn Bros., Whiskies. Sonn's daughter, Edna, is referred to in Hyman Sonn's obituary, New York Times, 28 Dec. 1929, as "Mrs. Sidney H. Rhodes, wife of the treasurer of Weber & Heilbroner, Inc." Sidney H. Rosenthal/Rhodes committed suicide 2 March 1936 at the Peter Stuyvesant Hotel, 2 W. 86th St. (New York Times, 3 March 1936).
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This is the east wall of 44 W. 28th St. The signs on the west wall duplicate many of the ones here, but with the exception of Ideal Pleating they are less clear.
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