HUGH O’NEILL’S, LADIES MILE

WHO is Hugh O’Neill, and why is his name on this building high above Sixth Avenue and 22nd Street? Back in the good old days, circa 1900, Hugh O’Neill owned the building, and the store on the ground floor. Just about everything here has been changed in some way, except the building. Formerly it was part of the so-called Ladies Mile strip along Sixth Avenue in the 20s, featuring department and dry-goods stores. 

In the 1990s, Ladies Mile rebounded after this stretch of 6th Avenue had sunk into decrepitude in the 1970s, as new stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond occupied the older emporium buildings. The Hugh O’Neill building even regained its former gilded pair of domes.

Note the Sixth Avenue El at right, which was there until the IND subway under 6th Avenue made it redundant in the 1930s. In 1900, steam-powered locomotives pulled the cars, while on the roads, ole Dobbin did the trick. Everyone wore a hat except the horse, and sometimes even the horse did.

Note the early post top electric lamp. A fire alarm was marked by an electric lamp with red glass housing.

In the 1990s, Ladies Mile made a comeback with shops such as Barnes and Noble; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and Old Navy. The first two have come and gone, joining Siegel-Cooper and Hugh O’Neill’s in the ranks of retired superstores.

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6/26/24