2001.01.16

0:31:24
Underberg Building

Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, last week.
Who is Mr. Underberg? Unclear. But a search for info on the Williamsburg Bank Building (right) turns up a grab bag of obscurities.
See also 11.25.2000.

12.29.03 UPDATE: J. Chino sent me a note over the summer about the Underberg Building:

As far as that building is concerned, I worked there for 15 years and my dad for 40! Mr. Underberg was a mover and shaker in the area for many years, involved with B'nai Brith and many other organizations, as a well as being active in boating by Sheepshead Bay back in the 40's and 50's. He had a bungalow there as a summer retreat and he had numerous trophies attesting to his boating endeavors. The building itself had people living on the top floors till about 1970, the bottom level housed a company called Samuel Underberg inc. which was a food store supply outfit that would have everything a store would need( carts, signs, stock moving equipment, aluminum goods etc....everything except food) Waldbaum was our largest account, but we would also deal with smaller places such as Balducci's and Zabars. Mr Underberg passed away around 1983 and his wife lived till 96 years old, and recently passed. That building was just sold by the Underberg family and even though it was in disrepair, it is a prime spot and they got somewhere near 1 million dollars or so. I believe it will be renovated and will have offices there.
The building will now apparently be demolished to make way for a megacomplex.

Oh yeah, and the tall one is officially the Williamsburgh (sic) Savings Bank Building.