The New York Times
Sunday December 2, 1934.
BLIND FOUNDATION HOME IN 16TH STREET.
Cornerstone Laying This Week For Foundation of Blind Home
Three-Story House in West 16th Street, Gift of M. C. Migel, Occupies Site of Former Residence of William K. Thorn, Commodore Vanderbilt’s Grandson.
The cornerstone of the new home for the American Foundation for the Blind at 15 West Sixteenth Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues will be laid next Wednesday afternoon. The site, until recently occupied by two old-fashioned three-story residences was owned for many years by the New York Hospital and the houses were used for the nurses’ training quarters.
The plot, formerly 13 and 15 West Sixteenth Street, was purchased from the New York Hospital last March by Moses C. Migel, president of the American Foundation for the Blind, and presented by him to that organization in addition to the new building now nearing completion. The value of the land and building is said to represent about $140,000.
The old red brick dwelling with its aristocratic front at 15 West Sixteenth Street held some interesting reminiscences in the social history of New York, as it was the home of a quarter of a century or more ago of William K. Thorn, a grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, and it was the residence of his sister, Mrs. Gustav E. Kissel, in November, 1910, when William K. Thorn died suddenly in Paris at the age of 62 years. Mr. Thorn had acted for several years as counsel for the Vanderbilt interests and he was a well-known sportsman. His nephew, William Thorn Kissel, was also an occupant of the house.
Although of moderate height, both of the old houses were of ample dimensions, each having a frontage of 33.4 feet. The combined plot, therefore, on which the building for the American Foundation for the Blind is erected is 66.8 feet. The architects are Cross & Cross and the structure is being put up by the Rheinstein Construction Company. It is now about 50 per cent completed.
The new edifice will be three stories in height, presenting a simple, dignified façade in the Georgian type of architecture. It is of fireproof construction, finished in red brick with limestone trim and sets back six feet from the building line to afford opportunity for planting. The depth of the building will be forty-four feet.
The entrance hall is circular in treatment with terrazzo floors, hung ceiling and plaster cornice. The interior finish includes plastered walls, cement floors and hollow metal doors and trim. It is expected to be ready early in the Spring.
The American Foundation for the Blind, now at 125 East Forty-sixth Street, will occupy the building as executive offices, for sound studios and publication offices of its blind magazine and the braille printing shop, the Helen Keller room with its library of 6,000 volumes from American and European sources on the blind and work for the blind.
The organization was started in 1921 and began functioning as a national clearing house in 1923. It works through international, as well as national, State and local channels to promote the interest and welfare of the 114,000 blind men, women and children in the United States. Among its activities are those of a vocational, legislative research, mechanical and publishing nature.
The World Conference for the Blind held in New York City in 1931, attended by delegates from most of the foreign countries, was under its auspices. Its latest project is a mechanical perfection called the talking book for the blind which is being published and circulated by the Library of Congress. The foundation is conducting a Christmas appeal to raise funds to place 10,000 reading machines, which read the talking books aloud to the blind, in the hands of the needy among the blind.
Officers of the foundation in addition to Mr. Migel are Prudence Sherwin, vice president; Dr. Olin H. Burritt, secretary, and William Ziegler Jr., treasurer.