History and architecture
The Knox Building, one of the finest Beaux-Arts style commercial buildings in the city, was designed by the notable New York City architect John H. Duncan. Built in 1902-02 as the headquarters of the Knox Hat Company, the building occupies an especially prominent midtown Manhattan location on Fifth Avenue at 40th Street opposite the New York Public Library.
The Knox Hat Company had been founded in 1838 by Charles Knox at 110 Fulton Street, east of Broadway. Much of lower Manhattan had been devastated by a major fire in 1835. In the period of recovery which followed, New York's retail businesses began to locate along Broadway and the adjacent side streets.
The Knox Company undoubtedly benefited from the popularity of beaver hats during that period, and business prospered until the Civil War. Sometime after the Civil War the company was taken over by Edward M. Knox (18417-1916), son of the founder. The younger Knox had enlisted with the Eighth New York Volunteers in the Union army after the fall of Fort Sumter, supposedly when he was only 17.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.