urn:taro:utexas.aaa.00007 Alfred Zucker: An Inventory of his Drawings,1880-1904 Inventory prepared by Lila Knight The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas Libraries. Alexander Architectural Archive. Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, April 2001. Finding aid written in English September 19, 2002 Edited in XmetaL 3.0 by Kristy Sorensen, according to instructions in Editing TARO EAD XML Finding Aids with XMetaL. Tue Jul 22 15:01:04 CDT 2003 urn:taro:utexas.aaa.00007 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505). Collection Summary Zucker, Alfred, 1852- Alfred Zucker (1852-?) Drawings, New York City buildings 1880-1904 ZUCK Accession number(s): 1979002 761 drawings Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin. Zucker (b. 1852), an architect who practiced in Texas, Mississippi and New York, was instrumental in the development of a new mercantile district on lower Broadway in the late 1880s and designed many warehouses and loft buildings in New York City. He formed a partnership with James Riely Gordon in 1902, but fled to Montevideo, South America in 1904 to escape a lawsuit filed by Gordon who alleged fraud and misrepresentation. Consists of 761 architectural drawings (1880-1902) representing 30 projects, as well as 39 volumes of clippings from architectural periodicals which are organized and bound by building type. English. Biographical Sketch of Alfred Zucker

Born in Freiburg in Prussian Silesia on January 23, 1852, Alfred Zucker was educated at the Polytechnic Schools of Breig, Hanover and Berlin. Afterward, he worked briefly for the State Railways Service at Hanover before immigrating to New York in 1872. From 1873 to 1876, he worked in the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. under Alfred Mullett and W.A. Potter. Zucker practiced in Galveston, Texas for a very brief period before moving to Vicksburg, Mississippi.

While in Mississippi, he served as consultant for the Vicksburg and Meridian Railroad from 1876 to 1882 and as architect for public buildings for the State of Mississippi from 1877 to 1882. Among his designs for buildings in the South are: the State A&M College at Starkville (1877-1880), the State Institute for the Blind in Jackson (1879-1880) and the State Insane Asylum in Meridian (1880-1882). Due to his failing health, he moved to Europe in 1882.

In 1883, he returned to New York and practiced with Henry Fernbach (who died the same year in 1883). Zucker was a partner with John R. Hinchman from 1884 to 1888. In 1888, Zucker won the competition for the Progress Club, a prominent German Jewish club. The following year, he designed the Hotel Majestic on Central Park West. Its inventive plan provided numerous light courts for both light and views of Central Park. This grand apartment building contained opulent interiors including a Moorish-inspired dining hall with vast Gothic fan vaults.

In the late 1880s, Zucker was instrumental in the development of a new mercantile district in the west of lower Broadway. The Cohnfield Building (1884) was the first such structure to be built in this new warehouse district. Other buildings designed by Zucker in this area included the Rouss Building (1873) and 484-490 Broome Street. These warehouse or loft structures were characterized by the use of cast iron facades and utilized the popular styles of the era. Zucker also designed many structures in the Washington Square area including 236-250 Wooster Street (1896).

After 1896, Zucker's commissions diminished considerably. Perhaps in order to bolster his practice, he formed a partnership with James Riely Gordon in 1902. In 1904, however, he fled to Montevideo, South America to escape a $100,000 suit filed by Gordon, who alleged fraud and misrepresentation.

 Scope and Content of the collection

The Zucker Papers were acquired as part of the James Riely Gordon Papers. Included among these materials are 761 drawings representing 30 projects. Most of this material consists of working drawings executed on linen but some projects are represented by watercolor presentation drawings as well.

 Other Finding Aids

Unpublished inventory in Archive.

 Related Material

A small portion of Zucker's library can be found in the James Riely Gordon collection at the Alexander Architectural Archive. It consists of 39 volumes of clippings from architecture periodicals organized and bound by building type. Other titles from Zucker's library have been found in other libraries, including the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Records indicate that the books were sold and dispersed.

 References to works by or about Alfred Zucker (1852-?) "Architectural Aberrations -- The New Hoffman House." Architectural Record 24 (1908): p.303-5. "The Ball-room: Hoffman House, New York, NY." American Architect and Building News 72 (June 22, 1901): p. 95. "Detail of the Geraldine, East 16th Street, New York, NY." American Architect and Building News 74 (December 14, 1901): p. 88 Francis, Dennis Steadman. Architects in Practice, New York City, 1840-1900. New York: Committee for the Preservation of Architectural Records, 1980. A History of Architecture and the Building Trades of Greater New York. New York: Union History Co., 1899. A History of Real Estate, Building and Architecture in New York During the Last Quarter of a Century. New York: Arno Press, 1899 (reprint 1967). New York Landmarks Preservation Commission. Soho Cast-Iron Historic District, Designation Report. New York: The Commission, 1973. "The Progress Club House, 5th Avenue and 63rd Street, New York, NY." American Architect and Building News 47 (January 19, 1895): p.34. Sprague, John F. New York, the Metropolis: Its Noted Business and Professional Men. (Part One) New York: New York Recorder, 1891. Stroh, Mary Kathryn. "The Commercial Architecture of Alfred Zucker in Manhattan." Master's thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1973. Zucker, Alfred. Architectural Sketches Photographed from Designs for Buildings and from Buildings Erected by Alfred Zucker, Architect. New York: National Chemograph, 1894. Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Texas Online Catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons: Zucker, Alfred, b. 1852--Archives. Organizations: Harlem Casino (New York, N.Y.) Hotel Majestic (New York, N.Y.) Elbridge Gerry Residence (New York, N.Y.) Mississippi State Capitol (Jackson, Miss.) Progress Club (New York, N.Y.) McCreery Building (New York, N.Y.) Architecture--New York--19th century. Subjects: Commercial buildings--New York--Designs and plans. Cast iron storefronts. Architectural drawings. Presentation drawings. Working drawings. Watercolor drawings. Restrictions on Access

Access is by appointment only to any serious scholar. Rolled materials must be flattened before viewing. A three day advance notice is required to flatten rolled materials. Portions of this collection are not processed and may not be accessible.

 Restrictions on Use

Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Alexander Architectural Archive's Use Policy

 Preferred Citation

Alfred Zucker Drawings, 1880-1904, New York City Buildings, Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin

 Processing Information

Drawings processed by: Lila Knight

Processing is not completed. Please see Archive's staff for more information.

 Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Drawings Series Abstract

Entries are indexed in alphabetical order by Client's last name. If the client is not identifiable the field will remain blank. Entries without client names are sorted by Project Name and listed before those that provide client's names. Project names are supplied by the cataloger, as title blocks on the drawings prove to be inconsistent and many drawings are not labeled. Dates are offered if they can be derived from the drawings or gathered from other authoritative sources. The term "drawing" includes both original works (such as pencil on trace paper, or ink on tracing clothe) as well as copies (such as sepia prints, blueline prints, etc.).

 Baudouine Building. 1894-1895 Alfred Zucker 1181 Broadway New York N.Y. U.S. Bolkenhayn. 1894 Alfred Zucker Fifth Ave. & 58th St. NE corner New York N.Y. U.S. Bolkenhayn. Addition. 1901 Alfred Zucker NE corner Fifth Ave. & 58th St. New York N.Y. U.S. Corndiac. 1893-1894 Alfred Zucker 139 Fifth Ave New York N.Y. U.S. Decker Building. 1892 Alfred Zucker 33 Union Square West New York N.Y. U.S. Ehret Hotel. 1898 Alfred Zucker 58th Street at Broadway New York N.Y. U.S. Geraldine Building. 1891 Alfred Zucker 5-7 East 16th St. New York N.Y. U.S. Harlem Casino. 1899-1901 Alfred Zucker 7th Ave. at 124th NE corner New York N.Y. U.S. Harlem Casino. Addition. 1903 Alfred Zucker NE corner 7th Ave. at 124th New York N.Y. U.S. Hoffman House. 1894-1895 Alfred Zucker 11 West 24th St. New York N.Y. U.S. Juilliard Building. 1893 Alfred Zucker 13-15 Laight St. New York N.Y. U.S. Majestic Hotel. 1891 Alfred Zucker Central Park West at West 72nd St. New York N.Y. U.S. McCreery Building. 1893 Alfred Zucker 53-59 West 22nd St. New York N.Y. U.S. Merck Building. 1895-1896 Alfred Zucker 13-19 University Place New York N.Y. U.S. Progress Club. 1889 Alfred Zucker NE corner of Fifth Ave. at 63rd St. New York N.Y. U.S. Rouss Building. 1889 Alfred Zucker 549-553 Broadway New York N.Y. U.S. St. Francis Sanitarium. 1901-1902 Alfred Zucker Denville N.J. U.S. Unidentified 10 story building. nd Alfred Zucker unknown U.S. Unidentified loft building. 1901 Alfred Zucker 10 Waverly Place New York N.Y. U.S. Unidentified office building or warehouse. 1890 Alfred Zucker 28-30 Waverly Place New York N.Y. U.S. Unidentified residences A-D. 1895 Alfred Zucker New York N.Y. U.S. Unidentified warehouse or office building. 1895 Alfred Zucker 341 &; 343 West 23rd St. New York N.Y. U.S. Union. (Cossitt Estate Block) Proposed improvement. 1895-1896 Alfred Zucker 341 &; 343 West 23rd St. Union N.J. U.S. University Building. (American Book Company). 1894 Alfred Zucker University Place New York N.Y. U.S. University Building. (American Book Company). 1896 Alfred Zucker 35 and 37 West Third St. New York N.Y. U.S. Building. 1894 Alfred Zucker Baudouine, Charles A. 458 Broadway New York N.Y. U.S. Stable. 1896 Alfred Zucker Gerry, Commodore 39 and 41 East 62nd Street New York N.Y. U.S. Elbridge Gerry residence. Law library. 1896 Alfred Zucker Gerry, Elbridge 2 East 61st Street New York N.Y. U.S. Elbridge Gerry residence. Remodeling. 1895-1896 Alfred Zucker Gerry, Elbridge 2 East 61st Street New York N.Y. U.S. Mississippi State Capitol. 1885 Alfred Zucker State of Mississippi Jackson Miss. U.S. Wilkinson County Courthouse. 1902 Alfred Zucker Wilkinson County Woodville Woodville Miss. U.S. Office mantle. 1890 Alfred Zucker Zucker, A. New York N.Y. U.S.