Here is an 1850s image of the D.D. Badger & Co. iron works foundry, formerly located at the East River between E.13th and E.14th Streets. Back when Alphabet City was an industrial district, very little of the neighborhood was residential. For over a century, the East Side hosted at times the largest concentration of factories, stables, warehouses, coal, lumber and iron yards in the city.
Daniel D. Badger, who the New York Times called a “pioneer of this country in the use of iron for building purposes,” opened at this location by 1854, soon growing to employ 400 men and produce 400-500 tons of building iron per year. Some of the work of his company, Architectural Iron Works, can still be seen today:
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| 36 Walker Street |
Read more about D.D. Badger, his foundry and work at http://www.waltergrutchfield.net/badger.htm
Eric is a 4th generation Lower East Sider, professional NYC history author, movie & TV consultant, and founder of Lower East Side History Project.