Italian Labor Center (New York City, New York) | apartment building, trade union

 apartment building, trade union

6-story residential building completed in 1919 as a commercial building. Designed by John Caggiano, Matthew Del Gaudio and Anthony Lombardi as a community center for the ILGWU labor union, it later housed the Ukrainian Center for Social Research. In New York in the early 20th century, nearly all female garment workers were Jewish or Italian, and while they often worked closely together, there were also separate organizations and entities catering to differences of language and culture. This building was erected to house the Cloakmakers Local 48 of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. The dramatic relief marble carvings on the building depicting workers’ struggle against exploitation are believed to be the work of poet and sculptor Onorio Ruotolo. In the 1920s, after Mussolini’s takeover of Italy, the Center was a hub of anti-Fascist organizing in New York. The ground floor housed Thomas Beauty Salon. The building now contains apartments, with a commercial space still on the ground floor.

The facade is clad in white brick above a 2-story base of white stone. The outer piers at the base are banded, and frame a 2-story segmental-arched opening, with brown metal and glass infill. The ground floor has an entrance on the right, and the storefront on the left has two doors flanking a projecting bay of show-windows. The 2nd floor has a band of four tripartite windows below the arch, the inside of which is lined with brick. The stone frieze above still reads "ITALIAN LABOR CENTER" in the middle, with Ruotolo's relief carvings on either side. Both depict families, but in stark contrast. The panel on the left signifies exploitation and terrorization of the workers by the capitalist snake, and the scene on the right the calmness and peace brought about after the defeat of capitalism through the collective action of the unions. A string course with a wave motif caps the base.

The 3rd-5th floors all have two bays of large casement windows. The 6th floor has four single-windows. A black metal fire escape runs down the east half of the facade, which is topped by a metal railing. The ground floor is now occupied by Beauty Bar cocktail bar.