29 Washington Place - 100 Years After The Fire

After years of thinking and talking about it, it's fitting that I'm finally starting this blog today with 29 Washington Place.  Today, the building is known as the Brown Building and is part of New York University.

But one hundred years ago, it was known as the Asch Building and was the site of one the deadliest events in New York City history... The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

The Triangle Waist Company occupied the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the Asch Building on the northwest corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, just to the east of Washington Square Park.  The company produced women's blouses, known then as "shirtwaists."  The factory employed mostly young immigrant woman, many of them Italian or Jewish.

At about 4:45 pm on Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the Eighth Floor and quickly spread upward.  Although each floor had a number of exits – two freight elevators, a fire escape, and stairways down to Greene Street and Washington Place – flames prevented workers from descending the Greene Street stairway, and the door to the Washington Place stairway was locked to prevent theft.  Terrified employees crowded onto the single exterior fire escape, a flimsy and poorly-anchored iron structure which may have been broken before the fire. It soon twisted and collapsed from the heat and overload. 

Many workers jumped from the windows to their death. The remainder waited until smoke and fire overcame them. The fire department arrived quickly but was unable to stop the flames, as there were no ladders available that could reach beyond the sixth floor. 

In the end, 146 lives were lost.  Their deaths should never have happened, but their legacy is the transformation of the labor code of New York State and the adoption of fire safety codes that served as a model for the whole country.




Someone walking by 29 Washington Place today would probably have no idea of the sacrifices that took place there 100 years ago.  Only a couple of Landmark signs mark the spot of the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the City.

But, if one was to pause and look up, he/she would see a handsome Neo-Renaissance facade (largely undamaged by the fire) with beautiful architectural details.  

 When I visited on the eve of the centennial and looked up, I was treated to a beautiful image.  On a completely overcast day, a small ray of sun managed to reflect off of the windows on Eighth Floor.  I like to think it's an otherworldly way of remembering what happened there 100 years ago.

All historical photos are from Cornell University ILR School Kheel Center's comprehensive Triangle Fire web site.