LAST June, I wrote about the monumental former American Beverage Company Building, #118 North 11th just west of Berry Street. I was under the impression that was its original purpose. Awash in a sea of ignorance as usual, I failed to look further, and there’s a wealth of original material on this building, which was constructed in 1897 and altered in 1928 as the Hekla Iron Works…
The Hecla Iron Works Factory Rose From the Ashes in Williamsburg [Brownstoner]
The History [Hecla Iron Works]
Hecla Iron Works Building [Historic Districts Council]
Hecla Iron Works [The Indispensable Walter Grutchfield]
Hecla Iron Works [Landmarks Preservation Commission Report]
I had forgotten what the late great Gary Fonville wrote about Hecla in his 2018 page about NYC subway entrances:
As I exited the B45 bus, waiting to cross Joralemon Street, I noticed this identifying feature. This indelible mark for the Hecla Iron Works indicates the kiosk was manufactured in 1907. Even though work on the first IRT tunnel under the East River commenced on March 4, 1903, it wasn’t until January 8, 1908 that the Borough Hall station opened.
|
Hecla Iron Works was formed through a partnership between (Norwegian immigrant) Charles Eger and (Danish) Neils Paulson in 1879. The firm started as Paulson & Eger, but its name was later changed to Hecla in honor of a volcano in Iceland named Hekla. Hecla became a very successful business as they were awarded numerous contracts around NYC and elsewhere. A very short list of where its work can be seen are: The Dakota (NE corner of Central Park West & 72nd Street, the Macombs Dam Bridge (155th Street & 7th Avenue to the Bronx), the 155th Street Viaduct (155th Street & 7th Avenue to 155th Street & Edgecombe Avenue). The company’s largest footprint was the 100+ kiosks they designed and built for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT).
Secrets abound in NYC’s older buildings, and sometimes, they’re not so secret…
As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
2/11/25