Brucker Bros. & Aronof, Dresses & Costumes, etc., 37-39 W. 28 St. near 6th Ave. (2003)

The Brucker Bros., Abraham and Jacob, were located here on 28th St. from 1921 to 1925. Their partnership with George Aronof to manufacture ladies' and children's dresses seems to have lasted only a few years, maybe only 1922 to 1925. This sign, then, would have to fall in that time slot. Click here for Brucker classified ad from 1923.

Jacob Brucker, age 45 in 1930, was born in Romania and immigrated to the US in 1904. Abraham Brucker, four years younger, was also born in Romania.

Visible also here is a Hertz Furs sign, which may be Jacob Hertz & Son or Harry H. Hertz Co. or more likely both (Harry H. painted over Jacob). For more on Jacob and Harry H. Hertz see the east wall of this same building.

Just above Brucker Bros. & Aronof is a sign for Freedman & Glotzer (click for detail), manufacturing furriers. Principals were Aaron Freedman (1881-1941) and Harry Glotzer (1878-1929). The two men were immigrants from Russia, and they appear in back-to-back entries in the U. S. Census of 1920, living at 76 & 78 West End Ave., Brooklyn. Both have families: Glotzer has four sons, ages 11 to 3. Harry Glotzer, age 50, appears in the passenger list of the SS Carinthia sailing 19 Dec. 1928 from the port of New York (apparently a pleasure cruise that stopped in Havana) returning 6 Jan. 1929. A year later in the U. S. Census of 1930, his widow, Lillian Glotzer was living with the four boys (now ages 22 to 14) at 235 West End Ave., Brooklyn. The Freedman/Glotzer partnership lasted from approx. 1915 until Glotzer's death 10 July 1929. They were located here on W. 28th St. from 1920 to 1924.

Just above Freedman & Glotzer is a sign for I Rand & Co / Dresses (click for detail). Isidor Rand (1883-1966), an immigrant from "Austria" around 1900, first appears in New York City directories as a liquor store owner at 434 2nd Ave. (near 25th St.) These date from 1909 to 1913. He then reappears as Isidor Rand, Coats, at 37 W. 28th St. in 1916. A little later this became I Rand & Co., Dresses. The last listing for this business was in Polk's New York City Directory for 1922/23. This ad for I. Rand & Co. appeared in the New York Times 18 Feb 1918. Isidor Rand identified himself as an "insurance broker" in the 1930 U. S. census, and as self-employed at 120 Wall St. when he registered for the World War II draft in 1942. He was a cousin to the Noschkes brothers, Louis and Joseph, who manufactured dresses at 37 W. 28th St. during approximately the same time period (1915 to 1922). For more on the Noschkes see the east wall of 37 W. 28th St.

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