‘Shapiro Hardware’ Consolidating Operations on Great Jones Street Ahead of 59 Bleecker Redevelopment

It was nine months ago that Shapiro Hardware opened an annex on Great Jones Street. At the time, we were told that the two locations would eventually consolidate. Ownership furthered that narrative by including signs at the Bleecker entrance advertising the newest addition.

Now, that time has finally come. Giant banners affixed to the year-old store yesterday morning announce the move from 59 Bleecker Street. Their relocation is a direct result of an imminent commercial reconstruction of this NoHo corner.

Rendering of new 59 Bleecker St.

Three years ago, its immediate neighbors Kaufman Shoe Repair Supplies and Downtown Floor Supplies – area stalwarts with a combined 100 years at this location – relocated elsewhere in the city, stoking fears of more luxury construction. It later came out that a nine-story development was positioning itself here. That never happened, though. Instead, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans by architects Beyer Blinder Belle to restore the existing building at 59 Bleecker, but also replace the non-original “garage” section with a one-story structure that includes alluminum and glass storefronts, plus fixtures for a “bracket sign” (homage to the old).

The building at 59 Bleecker was first constructed in 1921, and housed both a car service station and liquor store (at the same time). The structure was modified roughly sixty years later to include a second contiguous building. Landmark protections arrived in 1999 courtesy of the NoHo Historic District.

59 Bleecker St. in 1940, Photo: NYPL