The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-03-05
AN IMMIGRANT WHO
BECAME ONE OF OUR
GREATEST BUILDERS


skyline of New York from the deck of
a ship. Today he may look upon what
he has added to that skyline, for he
is the builder of the Equitable and the
Woolworth buildings and of many
others which, though high, do not
reach so far up into the clouds. Mr..
Horowitz, running true and form, was
nearly sou-less and soupless when he
reached American shores; but he had
that grit, push, and determination
which are often called American, but
which are often, as in this case, i'm
ported products. The first thing he
did was to find job, that being
condition precedent to getting some
thing to eat. He worked first as an
errand boy, afterward as parcel
wrapper, then as a stock-boy, and then
as shoe salesman. Selling shoes
gave him the idea that he might be
able to sell real estate, and at the age
of twenty-three, five years after he
had landed, this Russian-Polish boy
embarked for himself as real estate
broker in Brooklyn. IN a short time
he was financing the erection of an
apartment house. and soon afterwards
he became president Of Brooklyn
brokerage firm which he himself in
corporated While he was engaged on
various real estate operations, the
yonug man attracted the attention OF
the Thompson-Star Company, who
offered him the post OF ASSISTANT 70
the president, In less IMAM year the
firm had undertaken important con-
struction work, running into the mil
lions: Everybody knows the WOOL
worth and Equitable buildings, put
Few know the man VINO built them,
says Francis J.. oppenheimer, writing
IN Inc magazine OF wall otreet. lie
goes on to tell us:
The Woodwork Ruildinq. for in
ctania DESIGNED bv Cass Gilbert. and
considered The most beautiful modern
fo;r,, tower in tbe world flor each
i;ab{od window means a noint of in
dnstrial energv--a worker at desk)
cost It's owners $4,000 600. Rising
from tho side WALL fftv-five stories.
mr. TAX feet il contains nearly A mil
lion square feet of office space. The
Equitable Building, designed by E. R.
Graham. fortv-two stories high, con-
tains 100000 square feet of space,
and is eouipped with the sixty-three
speediest elevators in the world. The
New York Municipal Building, de-
signed by McKim, Meade & White,
cost S11, 100000, and is the largest
building in the world devoted exclu-
sively to municipal offices. 1t rises
forty-two stories above the sidewalk
level to height of $50 feet, and con-
tains 100000 square feet of space.
The exterior is built of granite, of
which there was a total of 100000 Gu
bic feet, all of which was auarried,
cut. shipped and set in place in TWEEN
ty-six months.
In addition to these sky-scrapers
famed the world over, this concern
has erected a score of banks, financial
institutions, industrial plants, ant
power houses. The Union Station in
Washington, admired by everyone
who has passed through that city. as
well as the McAlpin and Claridge no.
tells in New York, are also Thompson
Starrett Company productions.
The first great achievement of Mr.
Horowitzis administration was the
erection If the Gimbel Building al
Rroadwav and Tbirtv-tbird street
This wa rusbed throuch in the face OF
every discouragement. Gimbel Broth.
ers who desired the new store. die
not want TO invest in real estate, Il
being against their policy. so Mr.. Ho.
rowifz had first to find a real estate
comnanv which owned sufficient land
Then he had to find money to nut NJ
the building. with the completion 81
this proiecf, involving a total outla,
of abont twelve million dollars anc
the drawing up of a lease for the
nremises for one hundred wears at .
rental of one hundred million dollars
the success of his administration was
assured.
In 1910, Mr.. Theodore Starrett hav,
ing retired, Mr.. Horowitz was made
president of the Thompson-Starrett
Company.
When, in 1917, the United States
declared war on Germany, this con-
Germ was entrusted with the response
bility of erecting one of the large can
tonments, Camp Upton, on Long Is
land. The spot, Yaphank, was dense,
ly wooded wilderness, isolated anC
many miles distant from any large
cit,, ar racarvoirs of labor Yat with.