Needle & Thread Grill

[34 White Street, Manhattan, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click for a much larger view.]

Last week I chanced upon a surprising moment at nos. 36, 38, and 40 White Street. So I thought I should look at the corner, no. 34. And lookit: in the heart of the mercantile district (now Tribeca), right next to the Crown Textiles Corp., is the Needle & Thread Grill.

[Click for a larger view, and notice the spindles, spinning wheel, Rheingold Beer placard, and loom (?) in the window.]

[Listing from the 1940 Manhattan directory.]

Today no. 34 houses Petrarca Cucina e Vino. (Molto costoso!) Google Maps shows a bit of the ghostly sign still on the side of no. 36.

Needle & Thread had a payphone (note the Bell Telephone sign) and its own matchbooks. I bet Petrarca can’t say that.

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More photographs from the NYC Municipal Archives (Pinboard)