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Oct. 8, 1939. "315 Seventh Avenue, New York City. General view." William Hohauser's 1920s skyscraper presides over the fur district, which includes the Bilt-Rite Fur Machine Co. 5x7 negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Below is the same view from September of 2014.
The Kheel Tower was converted into condominiums in 1989, most of which are one-bedroom units. As a "pre-war" building its high ceilings and thick walls make it in many ways more desirable than new construction. Units recently have sold in the $750,000 to $900,000 range depending on floor. Earlier this year there was a fire on the third floor that resulted in a tenant's death, but thanks to its sound construction the building sustained relatively little damage.
Samuel Kheel, who gave his name to the building, was an executive in the fur industry, which was centered around this stretch of Seventh Avenue. Some fur wholesalers still remain. His son Theodore was a well-known labor negotiator, who in a career spanning several decades was involved in over 30,000 negotiations.
The blocky concrete structure in the foreground of the "today" picture is part of the Fashion Institute of Technology, and dates back to the 1970's.
On the third floor of the Kheel Tower; I wonder if they sold ermine, sable and other imported, exotic furs from Russia. I'm guessing not everyone was poor in 1939.
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