Title: A One-and-a-Quarter Page Autograph Letter Signed by Abiel Abbot Low Regarding the Naming of the "Franklin Building" in Brooklyn.
Description: New York, Jan. 8, 1887. 1887. - Over 75 words penned on both sides of an 8 inch high by 5 inch wide sheet of A.A. Low's personal 31 Burling Slip buff white stationery with attached blank leaf. In his letter addressed to Mr. Davenport at the Garfield Building (which was also one of the buildings which A.A. Low developed in Brooklyn) Low mentions the possibility of naming the building located at 186 Remsen Street which would house the Franklin Trust Company after that institution: "I have asked Mr. [____?] if it would suit him, or it will not, to have the edifice called 'The Franklin Building'". Signed "Respectfully yours, A.A. Low". Folded for mailing with some minor creases to the left edge. Remnants of paper adhere to the edge of the verso of the blank leaf. Very good.
The American entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist Abiel Abbot Low (1811-1893) made his fortune from the China trade. His company, A.A. Low & Brothers imported teas, porcelain and silks from China and Japan. His firm was originally housed on Fletcher Street in New York City. It moved to new quarters, the A.A. Low building, which he erected on John street in 1849-50. Once established in New York, Low went on to invest in numerous other ventures including the first Atlantic cable and the Nickel Plate Railroad.
Among A.A. Low's speculative investments were the Garfield Building as well as financial institutions such as the Dime Savings Bank and the Title Guarantee & Trust Company. Another of his projects, the Franklin Building, is a seven and a half story Romanesque Revival Building. While most were later replaced by taller skyscrapers, The Franklin Building, which was completed in 1887 by the architectural firm of the Parfitt Brothers, survives as one of the oldest buildings in the district. Very good .
Keywords: AMERICANA; ARCHITECTURE; BROOKLYN, NEW YORK; A.A. LOW & BROTHERS; ABIEL ABBOT LOW; AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED; SIGNATURE; ALS; NINETEENTH CENTURY; ENTREPRENEUR; CHINA TRADE; SILK; TEA; PORCELAIN; JAPAN; DAVENPORT; THE FRANKLIN BUILDING; THE GARFIELD BUIL
- Book number: 31477
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