I was on my way to pick up lunch this afternoon when I came across the aftermath of the largest city fire in years – though it was two days later, the acrid stench of ash and charred wood hung heavily in the air. The block was fenced off as police officers and emergency workers evacuated buildings nearby. It seems as though the buildings, which have garnered numerous housing violations over the years, will be demolished soon.

Last year, Lily took me to the LES Tenement Museum – we went on a guided tour specifically focused on the garment industry in the early 1900′s (highly recommended, by the way). I found it fascinating to learn that NYC’s first garment district was located in the place where I go to work each day. Since then I’ve been looking around for little remnants that have been under my nose this whole time; I’ll be posting pictures of old signage and storefronts as I find them. Here’s a gate pattern that I found especially interesting – it was the former site of Fine & Klein Handbags, a Lower East Side institution since the 1960′s. When Murray Klein passed away in 2007, the building was put on the market and was purchased by SAS Property Management. According to this article written in 2008, the building was slated to be turned into a boutique hotel – but as of today, it still looks untouched.