Back in March, we reported that M. Schames & Sons, the legendary Essex Street paint store, was being forced to relocate. The demolition of their neighbor, 5 Essex, had apparently destabilized a shared exterior wall. A Lo-Down reader noted that the building dates back to 1909. Today we received the following comment from someone who logged in with the account name, “cschames:”
For what it’s worth, at least a good portion of the building at 3 Essex appears to be significantly older than 1909 as is evidenced by certain construction materials and methodologies uncovered by recent events. In fact it appears that the original facade of the building once faced due south and may have opened onto a long-gone street or alleyway that would have run underneath what is now 1 Essex. An update to this story, though: Schames Paint IS open for business at 3 Essex and the vacate order has been lifted due to interior bracing (which your tipster described as large blocks of wood). The new location at 90 Delancey will hopefully open in early June.
