11 Spring is a historic landmark in Nolita. Formerly a carriage house and stable built in the 1880s; it became famous as a canvas for street artists in the late 20^th century. The building was steeped in mystery as many thought it was abandoned, until candles materialized in the windows. From that point on, the building was known as The Candle Building.

No one knew why the candles appeared. Some hypothesized it was in honor of a departed family member. Others thought it was a warning to graffiti artists to stop vandalizing the owner’s property. The lack of knowledge regarding the owner and building led to its mystique.

When Elias-Cummings Development bought the property in 2005, The New York Times ran a story about the original owner, John Simpson. It was known that he had lived in the space since the 70s and loved to invent things. He outfitted the inside of 11 Spring with ingenious gadgets. For instance, when one entered the bathroom and turned on the light, the window shade would drop and a radio turned on. A push of a button would dispense toilet paper and another button would dispense soap. However, no one was able to get in touch with Mr. Simpson for comment. He vanished, and with him, so did the true history of The Candle Building.

Fast forward to last month, I received a call from a gentleman wanting to know more information about the building. When I asked his name, he replied, “John Simpson.” I nearly dropped the phone. “Mr. Simpson, we have been looking for you for a long time!!! The developer is going to be so happy to speak with you. We have so many questions.” I could not contain my excitement. Finally, the questions surrounding The Candle Building would be answered!

Caroline Cummings and I welcomed John Simpson back into his home, 6 years after he moved out. JT, as he likes to be called, is a sweet man, who walks with a cane. He was shocked we were so excited to meet him. He is rather shy but he answered our questions with a smile.

JT moved to 11 Spring in the 70s. He worked at IBM but loved mechanisms and working with his hands. The house needed work and he set himself to restoring it. He laid tile on the upper floors all by hand. He remembers pouring the concrete, laying the chicken wire and then putting the tiles in one by one. He recalled drilling holes into the joists and the smell of fresh wood wafting out. The building was built in 1888, and the wood was in great condition when our contractor started renovating 115 years later. The wood stood the test of time.

He lived in the basement of the building with his tools around him. There was no heat in the building so this was the warmest space. At one time he rented out the 2^nd floor to a friend for a short period, but aside from that, he lived alone.

When he wasn’t renovating 11 Spring, he was busy inventing some of the contraptions previously mentioned. One of the most complicated was the security system. Next to the door, there was a box you could put your hand into and type in a code. Then the door would open. Friends, who were taught how to use it, still could not figure it out and would resort to screaming his name from the street to gain admittance.

Once we knew a little bit more about him, we wanted him to reveal the secrets of The Candle Building. I told him about the rumor that 11 Spring was a former ice factory where the mobs kept bodies. He laughed. He assured me it wasn’t true. The space was never used for that purpose but he thought the rumor was very creative.

Then the candles… Did someone die? Was it to let people know he lived there? Readers, I hope you are sitting down for this one. JT had extra candles left over from the 1964 New York World’s Fair. He didn’t know what to do with them, so he put them in the window. No dramatic reason, just the simple need to do something creative. I laughed out loud. The public has been creating a theatrical story for decades! And all along, it was an effortless act.

JT was honored that we branded the building, The Candle Building. As we walking him through the property, he shared stories and asked us about the renovation. What pipes were used to redo the plumbing? What type of heating system was used? He spent 30 years at 11 Spring and is knowledgeable with home improvement. However, he was not expecting the building to be restored and finished so beautifully. He smiled and hugged Caroline. She had done a spectacular job renovating his former home.

Getting the approval of the former owner was the biggest reward Caroline could have asked for.

Tags: 11 Spring, NYC history

This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm and is filed under CORE Talks.