Landmarks Commission Tries to Do the Write Thing

Today, the New York City Landmarks Commission will hear arguments for the landmarking of the proposed Eberhard Faber Pencil Company Historic District.

Everyone knows the Faber name from the sides of their yellow No. 2 pencils. Those beauties were produced in the Greenpoint factory until 1956, when the company moved to Pennsylvania. The factory was built in the 1870s, and was Faber's second place of business in New York City. (The first one, in Manhattan, burned down.) The factory is being packaged together with a few adjoining structures from the 1820s to create a district evoking old-time Greenpoint.

Eberhard Faber's real name, by the way, was John Eberhard Faber. For some reason, he dropped the "John" after opening his first U.S. factory. Perhaps a marketing decision; Eberhard is a much more memorable name than John. Johnny Boy died shortly after completing construction of the Greenpoint building.

Also scheduled to be considered for "calendaring" is Webster Hall, the large, red-brick building on E. 11th near Fourth Avenue that was once the site of many a marriage; and the East 11th Street Public Baths, between Avenues A and B.