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Robert Baptista

Private Label Industrial Maintenance Chemicals REVISITED – M. Blumberg – Bushwick, Brooklyn

Feb 5th, 2014
by Frank.
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© Vincenzo Aiosa

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE

© Vincenzo Aiosa

GOLD PAR CORP – HUE SATURATED BY FHJ – CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE

I believe this building at 395 Johnson Avenue was originally the home of Max Blumberg’s lumber and millwork business. He emigrated from Russia in the late 1800s and started a sash and door factory on Humboldt St in addition to building apartments. His fortune was wiped out in the business depression of 1907 but he recovered and at some point erected the building on Johnson Street. Blumberg was active in Jewish philanthropies and died at the age of 58 in 1938. His biography is available online at the link:
http://thehistorybox.com/ny_city/nycity_bklyn_businessmen_pre_1925_article00713.htm

Another photo of the building is available online at the link
http://www.donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0072.htm. This photo shows some interesting architectural details and brickwork on the ends of the building. At the time this picture was taken in 2003, ADAR Imports occupied the building. Now it is apparently used by the Nationwide Chemical Co., Inc., a distributor of specialty cleaning, polishing and sanitation preparations. –  Robert Baptista – Colorants Industry History

 

Previously on FAB:

Eaglo Paint Update from Robert Baptista

Mar 27th, 2008
by fadingad.
1 comment

Eaglo Paint
© Frank H. Jump

Hi Frank,

The Eaglo Paint and Varnish Corporation was located at 49-20 Fifth St. in Long Island City. It was established in the early 1900s. Herbert E. Hillman was Technical Director for many years.

Attached [below] is an ad for Eaglo Paint that appeared in the Bridgeport Post on May 11, 1973.

The New York-New Jersey metropolitan area was home for many of the largest paint manufacturers such as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore. The raw materials for paint, namely pigments, solvents, resins and additives, were readily available from local industries.

Robert

Eaglo Paint Ad

Thank you Robert!

Sunday's Feature Fade: The Despair of Port Arthur, Texas – Robert Baptista

Mar 9th, 2008
by fadingad.
21 comments

Port Arthur, Texas is a gritty, oil refinery town best known as the place where Janis Joplin grew up. The Procter Street downtown business area has sadly faded away along with Janis’ powerful voice. I hadn’t visited downtown in years, so I went there on February 11th with my Nikon N-90 film camera and three rolls of film.

These scenes convey the despair of downtown Port Arthur – which once thrived with department stores, office buildings, hotels, restaurants and night clubs. The area comes to life once a year for Mardi Gras weekend and then returns to its vacant ambiance. In the early 1990s, elaborate murals of historic scenes were painted on building walls, but these too are disappearing due to the relentless sun and rains of southeast Texas.

But some hope of economic redevelopment is stirring. The World Trade Building on Austin Avenue, an impressive structure built in 1928 with fine architectural details, is slated for conversion to a 170 unit apartment complex. And the Hotel Batiste is being considered for an adaptive reuse such as a school. The refineries in town have announced several billion dollars of expansions which will create jobs and give the local economy a boost. The gasoline you use in New York is most likely refined here.

– Robert Baptista (www.colorantshistory.org)

Civil War Mural
Civil War Wall Mural – Racial Harmony – Pt. Arthur, TX

Civil War Mural
Civil War Mural – Robert E. Lee – Pt. Arthur TX

City Limits - Proctor Street
Port Arthur City Limits – Kress Building – Proctor Street

Coca-Cola - Proctor Street
Coca-Cola, Proctor Street

Derelict Hotel Batiste
Derelict Hotel Batiste

Golden Light Social Club
Golden Light Social Club – Houston Avenue

Derelict Golden Steer Restaurant
Derelict Golden Steer Restaurant – Houston Avenue

Derelict Hotel Sabine
Derelict Hotel Sabine – Proctor Street

Jet Taxi - Houston Avenue
Jet Taxi – Houston Avenue

Loans - Proctor Street
Loans – Proctor Street

Meat & Bait
Meat & Bait – Ripped Apart by Hurricane Rita

Reckless Driving
Reckless Driving Billboard – Proctor Street

Texaco Station - Proctor Street
Texaco Station – Proctor Street

Verna's Club - Proctor Street
Verna’s Club – Proctor Street

World Trade Bldg - 1928 - Austin Ave
World Trade Building c. 1928 – Austin Avenue

© Robert Baptista

Fading Ad Blog is Officially One Year Old!

Mar 2nd, 2008
by fadingad.
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Birthday Cake

Time flies when your fading. And blah blah blogging. Fading Ad Campaign Website just turned nine years old. The project’s inception was February 1997. Thank you for coming along for the ride and your collaborations!

Baptista Search Uncovers Vintage Gems

Feb 23rd, 2008
by fadingad.
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Auctiva.com

Library of Congress Archival Image

Above are images Robert Baptista (colorantshistory.org) found while commenting on some of my Pearline Soap postings. Pearline Soap ad: Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Baptista’s invaluable comments on this blog are worth being their own postings. Hey Robert- let me just make you a co-editor already! Below are his comments.

James Pyle made soap at 350 Washington St. in Manhattan in the 1860s. The product was sold in grocery stores as Pyle’s O.K. Soap. He later moved the factory to 414 Washington St. and sold Pearline Soap in one-pound packages at 15 cents per package. It was a coarse white powder formulated with sodium carbonate for washing clothes. A colorful vintage ad can be seen at the link:

A fascinating period photo is at the Library of Congress which depicts a little girl sitting on opened crates of Pearline washing compound, crying. She apparently mistook the small boxes for Crackerjacks! 

The Pearline Soap factory is being converted to condominiums with a cool $5 million starting price. Photos, a map, and more old Pearline ads

Celluloid Comb Factory Ruins, c. 1909 – 150-152 Columbia Street – Library of Congress

Feb 18th, 2008
by fadingad.
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Celluloid Comb Factory
Library of Congress

My buddy Robert Baptista – Colorants History.org– found this image and forwarded me some historical anecdotes pertaining to this former Brooklyn business (celluloid combs) that are reminiscent of the famous Triangle Factory Fire. Thanks Robert!

Hi Frank- I was looking at Brooklyn photos at the Library of Congress web site when I came across the attached photo with an interesting story behind it. The photo shows a celluloid comb factory at 150-152 Columbia St. that was hit by a devastating fire on Nov. 8, 1909. According to a New York Times article of Nov. 17, 1909 the fire claimed ten lives. The building had no fire escapes and iron bars on the second floor windows prevented workers from escaping.

The owner of the business, Robert Morrison, lost his son William in the fire. William was trying to rescue other workers. A despondent Robert Morrison committed suicide at his Brooklyn home on Nov. 18, 1909.

I don’t know if the building is still there. If it is, it would make a good then and now feature at your web site.

Best regards,
Robert

Google Maps
Google Maps

The Weekend's Featured Fade: A Retrospective by Robert Baptista in N'Orleans, 1996

Feb 16th, 2008
by fadingad.
4 comments

Shutters
Shutters Flapping, Pre–Katrina– French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street at Night- French Quarter, New Orleans 1996

Domino Sugar
Domino Sugar Factory – View from Mississippi River, New Orleans, 1996

Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall– French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Antoine's
Antoine’s Restaurant– French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Broussard's
Broussard’s Restaurant– French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Burlesque
Bourbon Street Burlesque Club– New Orleans, 1996

Gumbo
Gumbo Heads Cajun T-Shirt Honky-Tonk– French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

K Paul's
K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen– French Quarter, 1996

Le Petit's
Le Petit Theater– French Quarter, New Orleans 1996

Mardi Gras Poster
Mardi Gras Poster- French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Maxwell's
Maxwell’s Toulouse-Cabaret- 615 Toulouse Street
French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996
Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina,
the following description may no longer be accurate.

Nawlins
N’awlins Cajun & Creole Spices French Market
1101 North Peter Street – French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Pat O'Brien's
Pat O’Brien’s Mint Juleps- French Quarter, New Orleans, 1996

Pearl
The Pearl Oyster Bar
119 Saint Charles Ave – French Quarter, New Orleans 1996

Rawlinson
Rawlinson Studio Art Gallery– French Quarter, 1996

All photos © Robert Baptista

More pages:

GUMBO PAGES, NOLA.com, Katrina Aid Today

colorantshistory.org's Robert Baptista Photographs Ads & Ephemera

Feb 9th, 2008
by fadingad.
2 comments

Mail Pouch Tobacco - Dover, NJ 1991
Mail Pouch Tobacco – Dover, NJ 1991 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Edgerton Photographer - Beaumont, TX 1994
Edgerton Photographer – Beaumont, TX 1994 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Intercoastal Mercantile Co. 1918 - Vinton, LA 1996
Intercoastal Mercantile Co. 1918 – Vinton, LA 1996

Russo Auto Wreckers, Elizabeth, NJ 1994
Russo Auto Wreckers- Elizabeth, NJ 1994 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Aroy Building 1930 - Pt. Arthur, TX 1999
Aroy Building 1930 – Pt. Arthur, TX 1999 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Borne Chemical Co., Elizabeth, NJ 1997
Borne Chemical Co., Elizabeth, NJ 1997 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Goodyear Tires - Myersville, NJ 1998
Goodyear Tires – Myersville, NJ 1998 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Kolsch Beer - Leverkusen, Germany 1999
Kolsch Beer – Leverkusen, Germany 1999 © colorantshistory.org/Robert Baptista

Hi Frank,

Looking at your vast site reminded me of some photos of ads on buildings I have shot in the past. Attached are some that you are welcome to post at your site.

Best Regards,

Robert Baptista

Outstanding shots Robert! -FHJ

The Borne Chemical Co. depicted in the 1997 photo was located on a 9-acre site at 632 South Front St., Elizabeth, NJ. Chemical operations began at the site around 1917. Borne Chemical used the site for the processing and blending of various types of petroleum, dyes and chemical products. When oil prices skyrocketed in the 1970s, the company began to sell recycled motor oil and auto transmission fluid. But oil prices dropped in the 1980s so the company went bankrupt and abandoned the site. The property is now listed as a Superfund site which the City of Elizabeth hopes to redevelop it after the environmental cleanup.

Robert Baptista 2/9/2008

CLICK ON COMMENTS TO READ MORE OF ROBERT’S INVESTIGATIVE DETAILS!

 

Colorants History dot org blog – Robert Baptista

Jan 31st, 2008
by fadingad.
Comments are off for this post

H. Kohnstamm Food Dye Tin
Atlas Colors Food Dye Tin Labelled Oroline Yellow
Photo: Courtesy of Bill Bossemeyer. – Colorants History.org

H Kohnstamm 1999
H. Kohnstamm 1999

H Kohnstamm 2008
H. Kohnstamm 2008

Beckers Aniline & Chemical Works – Ditmas Avenue & East 83rd Street – Canarsie, Brooklyn

Jan 28th, 2008
by fadingad.
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Beckers Aniline Dye Factory, Canarsie

Beckers Aniline Dye Factory, Canarsie
© Frank H. Jump

Beckers Aniline Dye Factory - R. Baptista's Colorant History Website
Beckers Aniline & Chemical Works
East 83rd Street and Ditmas Avenue, Brooklyn New York
Source: The Washington Post, July 5, 1916

courtesy of Robert Baptista’s Colorant History Website

Robert Baptista (05:01:34) : January 28, 2008

These photos document the beginnings of the U.S. synthetic dye industry. After WW I broke out, dyes could no longer be imported from Germany, creating the so called “dye famine”. Dr. William G. Beckers, a German chemist who had emigrated to America, built a large dye plant along Ditmas Ave. near 83rd St. The plant was designed by architect Benjamin Forrester and had 40 buildings on the 15-acre site. It was one of the largest dye plants in the U.S., employing 1,200 people.

Allied Chemical and Dye Corp. acquired the business in 1920 and transferred the production to an even larger plant in Buffalo. Beckers, now one of the wealthiest industrialists in the U.S., built a 40-room palatial estate on Lake George, NY and became owner of the Sagamore Hotel. An unfortunate environmental legacy of the dye manufacturing operation was the pollution of Jamaica Bay, resulting in a ban on oyster harvesting.

The Brooklyn plant was closed in 1922 and the property was purchased by the Brooklyn Union Gas Co. Several of the buildings are still in use today by KeySpan Energy.

The top photo shows the 4-story red brick building which was erected in 1917 as the dye firm’s warehouse. The architectural details in the facade, the archway keystones, and elaborate brickwork make this an impressive building to this day.

The bottom photo depicts a former dye manufacturing building erected in 1916. The building was later remodelled with architectural details matching those of the 4-story building nearby.

Thanks Robert!