{"nrhp_refnum":"85001171","name":"Merchants Refrigerating Company Warehouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"501 W. 16th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.74399938300007,"lon":-74.00727233199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An 11-story, trapezoid-shaped cold storage warehouse at 501 West 16th Street, Manhattan, near the Hudson River, built 1916-1918 by John B. Snooks' Sons for the Merchants Refrigerating Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a prime example of a tall masonry cold storage building in simplified Renaissance revival style, and was the largest and most modern cold storage plant of its time. It represents mature reinforced concrete flat-slab construction with cork insulation, ammonia compression refrigeration, and rail and truck access. It also reflects the cold storage movement that enabled a national food distribution system.","narrative":"Occupying a full trapezoidal block between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues and West 16th and 17th Streets in Manhattan, this 11-story warehouse was built in 1916-1918 for the Merchants Refrigerating Company. Its buff brick, terra cotta, granite and cast stone walls have few windows, a design choice that limited heat and moisture entering the cold storage space. Inside, reinforced concrete flat-slab floors rest on mushroom-shaped columns, with cork insulation poured into the formwork. The building had rail access at ground, basement and later second-floor levels, and drew Hudson River water for its two-stage ammonia compression refrigeration system. Original De La Vergne compressors survive. The nomination presents it as the largest, most modern cold storage plant in the country when completed in 1918, with a capacity of 5,760,000 cubic feet. It also shows how cold storage allowed perishable food to be held for months, supporting national distribution in place of local markets, and the company's role in pioneering mechanical refrigeration.","period_of_significance":"1916-1918","architect_builder":"John B. Snooks' Sons","architectural_style":"Simplified Renaissance revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and altered, with offices, escalators and partitions added; original De La Vergne compressors remain in the basement.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.88916-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85001171.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001171/94131e7392-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001171/94131e7392-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Americasroof at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merchants-warehouse1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Americasroof at English Wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merchants-warehouse1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319728","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchants_Refrigerating_Company_Warehouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2891541"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/merchants-refrigerating-company-warehouse-85001171/"}