For well over a century, the Lower East Side’s waterfront hosted Manhattan’s primary industrial district. Among dozens of factories and horse stables was one of the largest concentrations of coal, lumber and iron yards in the city. This map illustrates some of the larger companies operating by 1891, in the 11th and 13th Wards of the Lower East Side.
See “Alphabet City” in 1891: http://les360.org/2011/12/industrial-alphabet-city-1891/
Eric is a 4th generation Lower East Sider, professional NYC history author, movie & TV consultant, and founder of Lower East Side History Project.