New-York tribune., 1878-02-18
THE EXCELSIOR BUILDINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE sTRUCTURE-oCCUPANTs AM
LOSSES.

LOSSES
The Excelsior Buildings, six stories In
height aud extending from Nos ZIG to 226 West T@en-
ty-thrdt formed of the most imposing structures
on the street Ii also known as the lheeisoh
Building from the fact that it built by James H.
Ingerso Of the Tweed Ring and the chair maker OF the
Bowery He built IL In 1870, Mt cost OF aoout
100000. Like nearly all the buildings put up os o
members OF the Tweed Ring 1T was preteh'ious III o
tectural style 1t $50 feet front by 30 eet oeei M
stories high and built of brick Win ofo"hStono
'front.' relieved by trimmings of Nova Scotia frees'ohe'
No oxpense seemed 10 be spared in the con-
strtction and the result was that the ln-
terror was as rich and handsome III nhlsn
as the exterior ornate in style The two lower ooS
were occupied by Ingersoll as chair mahniactory'
Here 1t is said that much of the furniture ofdereu y!
the Ring in its declining days was made
German. Conrad Boiler, acted as lnSefsoii >
agent transacted all business at the place. anu
was foreman of the factory The third and fourth floors
were rented the sth Regiment as an ar'nory In te
third floor were company rooms. Which were hneN
fitted up The fourth floor was used exclusively lor u
dillroon For these floors the regiment pa'1 rent oi
$50, 600 year.
After inrersoll's conviction the chair manuacory-
which mad been doing large busness-was broken up
The building then WAS transferred ngcrsos iathern-
lawWilialn H. O1vie in whose name the property now
stands Tie building said time to have been
owned By Conrad Boiler but this was not substanSed
last night.
II was common remark among people OF the neigh
borhood that 10 good could come out OF building
erected on the proceeds fraud. Iuck seemed To at
tend all who began business In 1t. After lngcr,oii y
conviction. William Gross rented portion OF the lower
floor and began the manufacture OF fine cabinet lurh-
ture He moved six months ago. and started ShOp
in West Twenty hth-st. although portion OF bis
stock still IN the basement oI tue oHmhs anu WIS
consumed
Tho occupants OF the building and their losses asfar as
could be ascertained last night, are rs follows:
The basement and ground floor of Nos. PIG and 2ls
occupied 10y George DAVIS deaicr III dHihiIule'
pied by the Manhattan steam Laundry;
The CORES pOudiHg rooms IN No. 20 were usen as u
saIesroom hy the Zero Refrigerator Company.
The floor OF Nos 40 and 222 at the time of the
fire. unoCcupied. II had been used until Eitcy as a
Sunday 1t was being hted up for roller
skating rink
The Sth Regiment, which occupied the tird ana fourth
floors lose $4,000. ,
rooms on the fourth stories OF Nos ZIG ana 21s had
quantity of furniture stored in the basement His loss
Theodore Doonch. cabine; maker, occupied the nth
He had on hand large stock OF furniture valued
ar $50 600 on winch there an insurance of $4,000
In Ihe Franklin Fire insurance Company of Phiadei-
seeond-st was damaged about $500 by the fire wneh
burned portion Of the rear There Is an insurance of
30 500 on the house
the foniih-story The stock in his rooms insured
for 10000. and his loss was said 10 be nearly double
Alexander Roux, cabinet maker occupied portion Of
the fourth story mauuiactOTy. Tho machinery IN
his work shop valued $4,000 and entirely
DESTROYED. His entire loss viii probably reach $4,000.
The amount OF his Insurance believed 10 be small.
Among the heaviest Losses by the fire Is that OF the
Eighh Regiment Armary, whose officers rooms, OF the
third n1or end dIill-roOm the fourth GoOr were
oncky wrapped in fAmcs Tie rushed into the
ana cndeayorod TO save some OF the contents, but
the fire and drov,, him back. not, hoe
ever. until he had found the coors Of the
regiment and bore them TO the street All the rest Of the
property. consisting Of uniforms, muskets, cartridges
and other military articles lost. Among the arti
ces furniture burned many costly paintings ana
trophies Of war These latter articles very highly
priced, and can never be restored.
General Shaier stated that the aTmory contained at
the time oi the fire. 500 stands Of worth about
$1,000; a pretty large supply o! uniforms,
knapsacks, etc, and State properly worth $4,000.
There were 5000 ROUNDS OF auuniOn in the nrmOry,
ana this unusually large supply was supposed 10 have
caused the first great explosion.
General Wiley said that the total loss on the property
OF the armOry wOEd be nearly $4,000