Well, this is my own Nosy Neighbor: James Bogardus mentioned in this post about the Sushi of Gari / Marinara pizza building on the corner of Duane and West Broadway that its equally squat neighbor — 132 West Broadway — was for sale.

As we know, 132 is the longtime home of the Telephone Sales & Service Company and as G. learned when I asked him to dig around (I had no luck on my own) it is indeed listed for $4.7 million. It’s a 25 x 55-foot lot, he said, and for what it’s worth, he thought it overpriced. It is listed with a brokerage that does not share, so he had no other details.

For some reason, this building, along with its neighbor on the corner, 130 West Broadway (which was just sold to the owner of Marinara Pizza), and the Citibank building across Duane, 120 West Broadway, are completely carved out of the Tribeca West Historic District — and not just non-contributing to the historic fabric. So that lends some intrigue…

The Telephone Sales & Service Company is a third-generation, family owned telecom company that installs intercoms, low-voltage security systems, fire alarms and other communication systems to commercial buildings, including NYC schools. And they are the only company in the city that provides that service. They have no digital footprint, but luckily I was able to chat with a third-gen owner when I rang the buzzer last February — after years of curiosity.

The great grandfather of the woman I spoke to (she wouldn’t give her name) started a business that delivered ice; her grandfather then bought this business — back when they installed phones that had a crank — in 1933. The family moved to Long Island two generations ago, but then moved back to the West Village.

To think that a company is still operating in this town after nearly a century — and right here in Tribeca. And everyone in there seemed proud to do it. But maybe we are nearing the end.

From the Landmarks designation report:

132 WEST BROADWAY
Architect: Edward J. Hurly
Owner/Developer: Seaman’s Bank for Savings
This two-story commercial building, located near the Duane Street end of the block, extends approximately 25 feet along West Broadway. This structure was built in 1941-42 for the Seaman’s Bank for Savings in the City of New York, and designed by architect Edward J. Hurly. Faced in brick, the second story has a row of single-pane aluminum sash windows and is topped by a brick parapet with stone coping. The first story later received a corrugated aluminum facade. The building replaced a brick residence listed in 1808 as owned by John R. Livingston. No. 132 West Broadway was constructed as an office building with commercial concerns on the first story; it continues to house offices.

And while I am at it:

130 WEST BROADWAY (Sushi of Gari) a/k/a 153 Duane Street
1925
Architect: George H. Griebel
Owner/Developer: Louis A. Pantzer [look familiar??]
…
1941
Architect: Irving Kudroff
Owner/Developer: Pantzer Realty Co.
Method of Construction: Masonry load bearing walls
This two-story commercial building, located at the northwest corner of West Broadway and Duane Street, extends approximately twenty-five feet along both streets. This structure attained its present appearance as the result of two twentieth-century alterations. The pre-existing five-story building was constructed in 1835-36 for builder Jefferson Berrian. In 1925 the first two stories were refaced, and in 1941 stories three through five were removed. The first story is faced in brick. The second story has historic iron sash and single-pane wood sash windows with transoms, framed with mullions and topped by a metal cornice and brick parapet. A sheet-metal cornice survives above the base of the West Broadway facade. Adjacent to the West Broadway facade are paired metal diamond-plate vault covers. Twentieth-century uses of 130 West Broadway have included retail, a carpenter’s shop, and offices.

110-116 WEST BROADWAY
118-124 WEST BROADWAY aka 156 Duane
Architect: John Candela
Owner/Developer: George Chisholm Estate
Type: Commercial building
Method of Construction: Masonry load bearing walls
This one-story commercial building, located on the southwest corner of West Broadway and Duane Street, extends approximately eighty feet along West Broadway and fifty feet along Duane. This structure attained its present appearance as the result of an alteration in 1955 by architect John Candela for the estate of George Chisholm in which the upper stories of six brick-faced commercial buildings were removed. The resulting one-story structure was refaced with buff colored brick and given new storefronts along West Broadway with a one-bay return on Duane Street. The windows have single-pane aluminum sash. The building continues to house commercial concerns.