Star Iron Works, 154 W. 132nd St., New York, 2014  

A worn coal chute cover with its inscription barely legible is this one on West 132nd St. for the Star Iron Works. The business was located at 4077-4081 Park Avenue in the Bronx from 1903 to some time late in the 1910s. From around 1912 it was also known as the Bartolicius Star Iron Works. Proprietor was Emil Bartolicius (1866-1935). Emil Bartolicius was an immigrant from Germany, an iron worker, naturalized 1 May 1891, when he lived at 415 First Avenue, Manhattan. Bartolicius was also active in New York real estate. Trow's Copartnership Directory, 1900, listed him as president of Trablime Realty Co., 4077 Park Avenue. He died, age 68, 31 January 1935, in the Bronx.

In 1893 Bartolicius was listed in Trow's New York City Directory as a partner with Joseph Rueth (1863-1942) in an iron works located at 255 W. 27th St., Manhattan. Even earlier, Rueth and Bartolicius were partners at 756 Greenwich St. in 1891. Rueth & Bartolicius moved to 462 10th Avenue in 1894 where they continued until Bartolicius formed his own company, Star Iron Works at 4077 Park Avenue. Rueth & Bartolicius had also been known as the Liberty Iron Works, and Joseph Rueth continued under this name on 10th Avenue through 1923. The Fifteenth Annual Report of the Factory Inspector of the State of New York for the year ending November 30, 1900, reported Liberty Iron Works at 462 Tenth Avenue employing 20 male workmen who worked 53 hours a week.

Rueth & Bartolicius were builders as well as iron manufacturers. This item from Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, v. 59, no. 1523, 22 May 1897, describes new construction planned for 112th St., "112th street, south side, 275 feet west of 7th avenue, 100x100.11, Rueth & Bartolicius, No. 462 10th avenue, will build a number of private dwellings." In 1898 No. 290 W. 112th St. was sold by Rueth & Bartolicius.

Presumbably Emil Bartolicius was the otherwise unnamed proprietor mentioned in this story from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 6 Oct. 1908, pg. 2, "Rockville Centre, L. I., October 6 - Yesterday afternoon a large touring car swerved from the Merrick road just after passing the railroad crossing here and took a header into the swamp alongside the road. In the machine were the proprietor of the Star Iron Works of 4077 Park avenue, Manhattan, who is constructing the iron work on the new bank building of the Bank of Rockville Centre; Cyril C. Hendrickson, who has the contract for the erection of the bank building, and two of the foremen on the structure. As the auto went over the crossing, the pin controlling the steering apparatus became loosened, and the car zigzagged along the road at a high rate of speed until it finally jumped into the swamp before any of the occupants of the machine could escape. As the car sank into the mire it was turned almost completely over and the occupants were dumped into the ooze, and with the exception of a few slight scratches, bruises and torn clothing, they escaped injury. The canopy top of the car was torn completely off and some of the gearing of the machine broken."

Like Bartolicius, Joseph Rueth was an immigrant from Germany. He was naturalized in Kings County Court, Brooklyn, in 1885. He died, age 79, 11 April 1942, in the Bronx.

In 1921 "Cross & Brown Co. sold for Emil Bartolicius, the five-story building, containing approximately 55,000 square feet, at 4077-85 Park Avenue, to Nathan A. Krischer, manufacturer of leather goods" (New York Tribune, Tuesday, 18 January 1921, pg. 11).

This ad for Bronx Loft Corner appeared in the New York Times in 1911 when Star Iron Works wanted to lease space in their building at 4077 Park Avenue.

Copyright (c) 2017 Walter Grutchfield