The New York Times Building

The New York Times began in 1851 as the New-York Daily Times. It was established by journalist Henry Jarvis Raymond (1820-1869), George Jones (1811-1891), a banker in Albany, Edward B. Wesley (1811-1906), an Albany businessman, and five other small investors. They founded the Raymond, Jones & Co. to publish the newspaper. Raymond was the editor. The first headquarters was established in a 6-story building at 113 Nassau Street, where the first issue was published on September 18.

In 1854, looking for more space, the company (then Raymond, Harper & Co.) took over a new and larger 6-story building at 138 Nassau Street, on the northeast corner of Beekman Street, facing the old Brick Church. In addition to the morning edition (the Daily Times), the newspaper also published other formats: The Evening Times, the Weekly Times, the Times for California, the Campaign Times (during presidential canvass) and the Times for Europe.

In February 1856, the company's name changed again to Raymond, Wesley & Co. On September 14, 1857, the newspaper was renamed The New-York Times (the hyphen was dropped in 1896).

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Once more the newspaper needed more space. The area around City Hall Park had become a commercial and publishing center, residents were moving further north and several religious congregations followed. So did the Brick Church, sold at auction on May 14, 1856. Wesley, one of the Times founders, and two investors, Frederick P. James and Henry Keep, bought the Brick Church property. In 1857, Raymond and Jones acquired James' and Keep's interests in the northern portion of the property.

The old Brick Church temple was demolished from March 14 to late April, 1857. Two buildings were erected on the site: the Times Building (as the newspaper officially called it) took the northern part, facing Spruce Street, previously occupied by a two-story brick house erected in the rear for the Trustees of the Church. In 1846, the publishing house Baker and Scribner leased this facility at 36 Park Row and 145 Nassau St. The site of the temple itself, the southern part fronting Beekman Street, was occupied by the Park Building (the first Potter Building), later World Building.

The cornerstone of the New-York Times Building (80 feet high), was laid at Park Row and Spruce Street on May 12, 1857. It was the third home and the first owned by the newspaper, designed by Thomas R. Jackson. It was then an impressive building in the area, with new presses and machinery. The staff moved into the new headquarters on May 1, 1858. The main address of the building was 41 Park Row. Before March 1859, the City Hall Square was named Printing House Square.

Times Building was five stories above sidewalk (seven stories in total, considering basement and sub-basement), a fireproof structure built of stone and iron. The principal fronts on Park Row and Spruce Street, were similar in design, but of different dimensions. The walls were made of light olive-colored stone, brought from Nova Scotia. The first story formed a continuous colonnade, with five rusticated stone piers on the western front, and four on the northern. The Nassau Street front was of plainer architecture. Its total height, from curb to cornice, was 86 feet, and the northern front was 60 feet in length. The press-room vaults, containing Hoe's great cylinder presses, extending around the three fronts of the building. The publishing office occupied the entire first floor of the building, opening on three streets. On the wall behind the counter were medallions of Faust and Franklin. The second and third floors were occupied by leased offices. The Editorial department, with the editors' rooms, was in the fourth floor, where the wide iron staircase in the Park Row entrance ended. This floor housed the Raymond's private office and the library. The printing office took up the entire fifth floor.

The Crook and Duff's restaurant opened to the public on June 20, 1858. It occupied half of the basement and ground floor of Times Building. The restaurant, with variations in the name, occupied the place until 1888, when the building was expanded. Later, the restaurant reopened in the new Times Building on the site.

Other tenants in Times Building included the Surrogate's Office (1858-about 1867), the Patent Office (1865), George P. Powell & Co.'s American Newspaper Advertising Agency, O Novo Mundo (1870-1879), the Forest Stream Publishing Company (by April 1880 to 1888), Leggo Bros & Co., the Philadelphia Times, J.H. Bates Newspaper Advertising Agency, Wood's Household Magazine (published by S.S. Wood & Company, between 1869 to 1874. Office at 41 Park Row in 1873), The Examiner & Chronicle (from about 1866 to 1878), William J. Carlton's Advertising Agency, Hooper & Co. Advertising Agents, Army & Navy Journal, the New York Albion (literary and foreign weekly, from about 1864 to 1874 or later), Belletristisches Journal, Walter Thompsons Advertising Agency and other offices.

Raymond died in June, 1869, and George Jones became the editor of the New York Times.

January 31, 1882, Times Building was partially damaged by the fire in the adjoining old World Building, at 37 Park Row (the first Potter Building), which was destroyed. The Times Building was protected by a very thick party-wall, which separated the two buildings. The the second 11-story Potter Building, constructed on the site in 1883-1886, overshadowed The Times for a short time. In September, the same year, electric light from the Edison's station at 257 Pearl Street, illuminated the Times Building.

In January 1888, a new 13-story skyscraper began to be constructed at 41 Park Row, around the core of the old building, so that the printing presses could be kept operating. In 1904, it took place a four-story expansion of the 41 Park Row building, completed in 1905. At the time, the newspaper had been moved to its new building in Times Square. More: Park Row in 19th Century ►