How about a building that has been a carpet cleaning company, a synagogue, a charm school and finally the Kingdom Hall of Jehova’s Witnesses? This building at 409 Central Park West has seen many changes. Let’s uncover the story of this Kingdom Hall of Jehova’s Witnesses.
In 1908, Nathan Marks envisioned a “light store”. He designed and built a two-story brick and stone structure. Marks owned the Central Carpet Cleaning Company. The building featured a large show window. The second floor had a mezzanine, likely for Marks’s office. Natural light flooded the interior. Racks for drying carpets sat on the roof.
Central Carpet Cleaning Company offered many services. They washed, cleaned, and repaired Oriental rugs. They also provided storing, dyeing, and renovating services. Carpets in halls and stairways were taken up, cleaned, and relayed. In 1921, Marks sold the building to V. H. Burgujian. Burgujian was an Oriental rug importer. His company offered similar services like cleaning and appraisals.
Around 1932, United Carpet Cleaning & Repairing Co. occupied the second floor. They likely had the same owner as V. H. Burgujian. Both firms remained there until the late 1940s. Then in 1950, a surprising tenant arrived. Congregation Beth Moshe, a newly organized synagogue, leased the second floor. The synagogue included a kindergarten and Hebrew school.
However, the congregation left in 1954, before their lease ended. Admiration, Inc., a fashion magazine for Negro women, took the ground floor. Parkview Studios, a charm school, occupied the second floor. Admiration magazine sponsored the Miss Bronze America contest. Prizes included a scholarship at Parkview Studios. Parkview Studios offered charm courses. These courses included graceful carriage and effective diction.
Admiration magazine didn’t last long. In 1955, a tailor shop and dry cleaner leased the first floor. In the 1960s, the International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses took the second floor. Then, in 1975, the congregation purchased the entire building. The original 1908 design was altered. It became a nearly windowless facade. Only Nathan Marks’s cast iron frame remained.
A remodeling in 2005 gave it a textured beige brick veneer. It also gained two stacked windows on the second floor. In 2006, the Jehovah’s Witnesses considered selling the air rights. They wanted to allow a developer to build on top of the property. But apparently, they had no takers.
And so, the building remains. It stands with its long and varied history. From carpets to charm to faith, this building has adapted. It is now the Kingdom Hall of Jehova’s Witnesses. Its walls hold stories of entrepreneurs, congregations, and transformations.