231 Front St. BenMoore, SB, PS

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Former Benjamin Moore & Co. factory, now offices
Address: 231-233 Front Street
Cross Streets: Bridge and Gold streets
Neighborhood: Vinegar Hill
Year Built: 1908
Architectural Style: Early 20th century commercial
Architect: William B. Tubby
Other buildings by architect: Charles M. Pratt mansion, Pratt Institute Library, and other Pratt commissions in Clinton Hill. Also fire houses, libraries, row houses and freestanding houses throughout Brooklyn
Landmarked: Yes, part of Vinegar Hill Historic District (1997)

The story: Benjamin Moore is one of America’s most well-known commercial products. Anyone who has ever chosen a paint color for their walls knows about Benjamin Moore paint, whether one uses their products or not. But very few people realize that the Benjamin Moore Company started right here in Brooklyn. Even fewer realize that Benjamin Moore himself did not go it alone. He had a brother, and the original name of their paint company was Moore Brothers, and it was headquartered on Atlantic Avenue.

In 1883, Benjamin and his older brother Robert M. Moore opened up their paint and varnish business at 55 Atlantic Avenue, in the middle of an industrial complex that once stood between Hicks, State and Columbia Streets, the same block that now holds the iconic Montero’s Bar. The brothers were from County Monahan, Ireland, and came to the United States in the 1870s. They had pooled their money and with $2000, rented a floor of a five story factory building nestled in the middle of the block, behind the tenement buildings that faced Atlantic.

Their first product was a wall paint called Calsom Finish. It was advertised as a “cold water product for floors and ceilings. Economical, durable and sanitary.” From the description, it sounds like it was a powdered paint, like milk paint, that was mixed with water. Whatever it was, it was a huge success. The brothers were turning a profit in their first year. Unfortunately, in May of 1885, the entire factory complex burned to the ground in a horrific fire that was the topic of a Walkabout series called the “Glass House Disaster.”

Undaunted, the Moore brothers found another location and were back in business weeks later. The company continued to grow and was incorporated as Benjamin Moore & Co. in 1889. The factory moved to Vinegar Hill and operated in a building near this one. They also incorporated in New Jersey.

The company was soon known for high quality, high pigment paint for a quality price. It was never cheap paint. But it was always really good paint, and the company soon had a reputation for coming up with new and innovative products. Their next paint, called Muresco, was introduced in 1892. It was a ready-to-mix paint (powder) with a list of ingredients that included Irish moss and Pennsylvania clay. It was soon available in 32 colors and was the best-selling calcimine paint in the United States in the early 20th century.

It was about that time that this factory building was commissioned. William Tubby was one of Brooklyn’s best known and most proficient architects of his day. He had made his reputation designing buildings for Charles Pratt, including the Library at Pratt Institute, as well as the lavish Charles M. Pratt mansion on Clinton Avenue. The Pratt family was a frequent client, as well as personal friends. He also designed row houses, mansions, libraries and fire houses throughout Brooklyn.

This factory is six stories of manufacturing and shipping space, and continues back through the entire block to Water Street. The Water St. end of the building incorporated the old BM factory into the design. Tubby designed a utilitarian building with a double entrance and lots of nice windows. It’s an old style brick loft factory, with wooden beams, floors and ceilings, not the new reinforced concrete that would soon take over factory construction.

Benjamin Moore & Co. also opened a large production plant in New Jersey, and that soon became the company headquarters. Before this building was built, they also had plants in Chicago and Cleveland. Moore moved his family from Stuyvesant Heights to Montclair, New Jersey, although he still maintained his Brooklyn connections with a membership in Janes Methodist Episcopal Church, the Crescent Athletic Club, and his participation in many charitable events and causes.

By 1906, the company had opened a Canadian division, run by Benjamin Moore’s half-brother Fred Moore. There were soon multiple plants across Canada. The company hired its first non-family chemist in 1907, and began coming up with all kinds of new product lines. It was a fantastically successful company. Benjamin Moore died in 1917 at the young age of 62. Although he lived in Montclair, his funeral was at Janes ME Church in Stuyvesant Heights, and he is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.

The plant continued operation for many years, but was eventually sold, as the company further grew in size and expanded its product line even further, and manufacturing in New York City declined. The building stayed a factory, and at some point, at least some floors were used for garment production. In 2008, the factory building again changed hands, and in 2012, it opened as office space, not condos, amazingly enough. According to Property Shark, the building now has 39 tenants.

(Photo:Scott Bintner for PropertyShark)

GMAP

Ad in the "Monthly Echo" 1917
Ad in the Monthly Echo, 1917
Interior space before construction. Photo: Loopnet.com
Interior space before construction. Photo: Loopnet.com

What's Your Take? Leave a Comment