Digging into the history of 115 MacDougal Street
The city is always changing...
In 2016, the Daytonian in Manhattan blog posted a detailed history of 115 MacDougal Street: “The Messler Coal Stables -- No. 115 MacDougal Street,” from modest home to coal business to stables to theater and the Cafe Wha?
The article went back to the first half of the 19th century when the structure at 115 MacDougal was a home that was replaced by a coal business later in the 1800s. Crime and danger prevailed in the area during this time.
Meanwhile, it’s well worth reading the blog post just for the stories about the crime and other mayhem in the neighborhood that also involved this address.
By the early 20th century, the Village was undergoing yet another transformation, a revival that drew artists to the neighborhood.
In 1920, Israel Levy bought the property. The transaction was described in the Real estate record and builders’ guide1:
Israel Levy bought the two 3-sty stables 115 Macdougal st, and 2 to 10 Minetta la. northwest corner, on a plot 25 feet on the street and 100 feet on Minetta la, with a west line of 50 feet.
In 1958, Levy sold it to Donald Goldman, who opened the Players Theatre there as a home for his Shakespearewrights theatre group he founded and ran.
Theaters of different sizes and rehearsal spaces take up the ground level and upper two floors of 115 MacDougal Street, while Goldman rented the basement to Manny Roth, and history was made…
Real estate record and builders' guide New York, F. W. Dodge Corp. Electronic reproduction. v. 41, no. 1,034 (Jan. 7, 1888) - v. 45, no. 1163 (June 28, 1890), v. 47, no. 1190 (Jan. 3, 1891) - v. 102, no. 2650 (Dec. 28, 1918); v. 103, no. 1 (Jan. 4, 1919) - v.110, no. 27 (Dec. 30, 1922). New York, N.Y. : Columbia University Libraries, 2010. JPEG use copy available via the World Wide Web. Master copy stored locally on CD#: Digitized by the Internet Archive. NNC Electronic reproduction. v. 46, no. 1164 (July 5, 1890) - no. 1189 (Dec. 27, 1890). New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Libraries, 2009. JPEG use copy available via the World Wide Web. Master copy stored locally on CD#: Digitized from the microfilm by OCLC Preservation Service Center, Bethlehem, Pa. NNC. Columbia University Libraries Electronic Books. 2006.