Decker Building
Encyclopedia
The Decker Building, periodically also named the Union Building, located at 33 Union Square
West in Manhattan
, New York City
was built in 1892 for the Decker Brothers
piano
company, to designs by the radical anarchist architect John H. Edelmann
, working in the office of Alfred Zucker. It replaced the earlier Decker Building on the same lot, designed by Leopold Eidlitz
and built in 1869. Andy Warhol
had his Factory
on the sixth floor of this building from 1968 through 1973. It is also where Valerie Solanas
shot Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya
in 1968.
on the façade which remain today. There was a minaret on the roof which disappeared before World War II
.
The building was valued at $285,000 in 1913, after which it was traded to settle debts.
from East 47th street due to the building being torn down. Union Square at the time was not an upscale area, but Paul Morrissey
found the loft in this building. He met Jed Johnson
and hired him to help out refinishing the space and introducing him to Warhol.
On June 3, 1968, Valerie Solanas
visited the Factory, looking for Warhol, who she felt was taking control of her screenplay away from her. She waited until Warhol returned around 4pm. Within a few minutes, she shot Warhol three times, seriously wounding him, as well as shooting Mario Amaya. Solanas turned herself in to the police a few hours later.
Around 1970, Warhol built a video camera system and taped his visitors and documented the activities around the studio.
In 1973, Warhol moved the Factory to 860 Broadway, a short distance away. As part of packing up, he began to create the Warhol Time Capsules.
in 1995. A Puma
shoe store now occupies the first floor retail space.
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
West in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was built in 1892 for the Decker Brothers
Decker Brothers
Decker Brothers was an American piano manufacturer located in the John H. Edelmann designed Decker Building in New York, New York, on the national register of historic places...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
company, to designs by the radical anarchist architect John H. Edelmann
John H. Edelmann
John H. Edelmann was a socialist-anarchist who worked as an architect in the office of Alfred Zucker, a successful commercial architect of the 1880s and 1890s in New York City. As an architect, Edelmann's sole surviving monument is the former headquarters of the Decker Brothers Piano Company, the...
, working in the office of Alfred Zucker. It replaced the earlier Decker Building on the same lot, designed by Leopold Eidlitz
Leopold Eidlitz
Leopold Eidlitz was a prominent New York architect best known for his work on the New York State Capitol , as well as "Iranistan" , P. T. Barnum's house in Bridgeport, Connecticut; St. Peter's Church, on Westchester Avenue at St...
and built in 1869. Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
had his Factory
The Factory
The Factory was Andy Warhol's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well. The Factory was located on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan. The rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year"...
on the sixth floor of this building from 1968 through 1973. It is also where Valerie Solanas
Valerie Solanas
Valerie Jean Solanas was an American radical feminist writer, best known for her attempted murder of Andy Warhol in 1968. She wrote the SCUM Manifesto, which called for male gendercide and the creation of an all-female society.-Early life:Solanas was born in Ventnor City, New Jersey, to Louis...
shot Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya
Mario Amaya
Mario Amaya was an American art critic, museum director, magazine editor and former director of the New York Cultural Center and the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia . He was also the chief curator of the Art Gallery of Ontario and the founding editor of London’s Art and Artists...
in 1968.
Building description
The building is only 33 feet (11 m) wide and 138 feet (42 m) deep on a lot that goes back 150 feet (46 m). It has a right of way to 16th Street from the rear of the building. The style of the building mixes influences from Venice and Islamic traditions. There are numerous terra cotta detailsArchitectural terracotta
Terracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
on the façade which remain today. There was a minaret on the roof which disappeared before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The building was valued at $285,000 in 1913, after which it was traded to settle debts.
Warhol years
In 1967, Warhol had to move his FactoryThe Factory
The Factory was Andy Warhol's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well. The Factory was located on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan. The rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year"...
from East 47th street due to the building being torn down. Union Square at the time was not an upscale area, but Paul Morrissey
Paul Morrissey
Paul Morrissey is an American film director, best-known for his association with Andy Warhol.Morrissey attended Ampleforth College, a private Roman Catholic boarding school and Fordham University, both Roman Catholic schools, and later served in the United States Army...
found the loft in this building. He met Jed Johnson
Jed Johnson (designer)
Jed Johnson was an American interior designer and film director. Initially hired by Andy Warhol to sweep floors at Warhol's Factory, he subsequently moved in with Warhol and became his lover. He died in the TWA Flight 800 explosion in 1996.-Warhol years:In 1967, Johnson and his twin brother Jay...
and hired him to help out refinishing the space and introducing him to Warhol.
On June 3, 1968, Valerie Solanas
Valerie Solanas
Valerie Jean Solanas was an American radical feminist writer, best known for her attempted murder of Andy Warhol in 1968. She wrote the SCUM Manifesto, which called for male gendercide and the creation of an all-female society.-Early life:Solanas was born in Ventnor City, New Jersey, to Louis...
visited the Factory, looking for Warhol, who she felt was taking control of her screenplay away from her. She waited until Warhol returned around 4pm. Within a few minutes, she shot Warhol three times, seriously wounding him, as well as shooting Mario Amaya. Solanas turned herself in to the police a few hours later.
Around 1970, Warhol built a video camera system and taped his visitors and documented the activities around the studio.
In 1973, Warhol moved the Factory to 860 Broadway, a short distance away. As part of packing up, he began to create the Warhol Time Capsules.
Current use
The building had been vacant and was completely refurbished into apartments by Joseph Pell LombardiJoseph Pell Lombardi
Joseph Pell Lombardi is a New York City-based architect, heading the firm The Office of Joseph Pell Lombardi, Architect. Lombardi holds degrees in both Architecture and Historic Preservation , and he established his firm in 1969 to specialize in restoration, preservation, adaptive re-use and...
in 1995. A Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
shoe store now occupies the first floor retail space.