Designated: August 12, 2025
The Barbey Building, designed by William A. Delano (1874-1960) and Chester H. Aldrich (1871-1940) for the socialites Henry and Mary Barbey, is an astounding example of Renaissance revival architecture. In fact, the architectural historian Christopher Grey, writing in the New York Times, called the Barbey Building, “an unusually tailor-made structure for a district of off-the-rack garment and loft buildings.”
The fact that Delano and Aldrich, a team best known for tony buildings like the Knickerbocker Club, designed this commercial and manufacturing building, enriches our understanding of their work, and of the origins of what would become the Garment District.
Throughout its history, the Barbey Building has been home to a wide variety of firms including millinery and garment companies, publishing houses, architectural offices, artists’ lofts, and, from 1985 to 2019, the corporate headquarters of Lord & Taylor. This robust melange of art and commerce, labor and capital, manufacturing and sales, offers a window into the dynamic and multifaceted history of the neighborhood. Indeed, tracing the history of the Barbey building allows us to discover how the neighborhood evolved.
photo courtesy the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
