Was "Foot East 118th Street" a recognized address? I thought the whole numbering system was adopted before this. That would make them what, about 535 East 118th, where the Costco is now? Or would it be in the middle of what is now FDR Drive?

In the 1890s, I think things were still a little loose, especially in areas where the street-grid hadn't quite reached, or had only recently reached. Also, if a firm actually had, say, a dock or a landing on the river, and they used it for a lot of shipping, it might be a more recognizable address, or more useful. Another ad I've seen for Wolff-American bicycles has the address as: "Foot of 118th, 117th and 116th Sts. and E.R., New York," where "E.R." is presumably "East River." That does indicate quite a large factory building, even when you consider that these are "small" (i.e., North-South) not "long" (i.e., East-West) blocks. My 1947 Hagstrom's New York City atlas still shows a landing at East 118th Street at that time, even though the East River Drive (first constructed in the 1930s, and called the FDR Drive after '45) separates it from the grid, proper.

Put another way: I think the East River/FDR Drive is now covering part of the footprint of what would have been the Wolff-American factory building.

So, they were actually manufacturing their own products, not just reselling another maker's goods. Interesting.

Also, this...

*immediately bookmarks*

Some ads for the bikes play up the fact that R.H. Wolff & Co. dealt in steel goods, and steel was the heart of a good bicycle. I wonder if somehow the firm got swallowed up in the great formation of the U.S. Steel Corporation in '01.

Now, I shall completely distract you and waste your afternoon pointing you to the fascinating and completely unrelated Pope Manufacturing Company. Pope made and sold everything from sewing machines and rifle barrels to Columbia bicycles (and motorcycles) to automobiles:AAA in West Hartford has an old Pope-Hartford in their waiting room. Teddy Roosevelt rode in one.

That name has crossed my radar a few times. Back in the day when ____ was made in Connecticut. I just saw, yesterday, a video where a French restorer completely restored a vegetable slicer, an iron one, made in New Britain.

lol, I love how there's a Costco and an Applebee's there now