Artist Andy Warhol, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 6, 1928, became one of the most emblematic and influential New Yorkers of the 20th century. A star student at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology, he arrived in New York City in 1949 and established himself as a talented advertising illustrator. His first home in the City was a small apartment at 1342 Lexington Avenue.
Warhol’s residence at 1342 Lexington Avenue as it was ca. 1940. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Warhol quickly ascended to the top of New York’s art world and by the 1960s his paintings, sculptures, prints, posters, photographs, films and writings were ubiquitous and highly desirable. He produced much of his work at a succession of studios he called “the Factory.” The first was located at 231 East 47th Street; then 33 Union Square West and finally 860 Broadway.
The first Warhol “Factory” was on the top floor of this building at 231 East 47th Street, until 1967. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
33 Union Square West, the location of the Factory from 1967 to 1968, shown here in a 1940 tax photo. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
33 Union Square West, ca. 1985. Warhol was shot here in 1968. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
860 Broadway, ca. 1985. This was the last location of the Factory, from 1974 until 1984. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Warhol was famous for turning up at almost every social event, club, and “happening” of his era. He also turns up in the Municipal Archives. Unfortunately, he first appears in connection with the June 4, 1968 attempt on his life. NYPD crime scene detectives photographed the 33 Union Square West “Factory” after the writer Valerie Solanas shot Warhol in the stomach. A bullet also grazed Mario Amaya, a visiting art critic from London. Seriously wounded, Warhol took more than a year to return to his career. Some biographers say he never really recovered.
nypd_49598-01: Felonious assault scene at 33 Union Square where Andy Warhol and Mario Amaya were shot by Valerie Solanas, desk area with bloody paper, facing west, June 4, 1968. NYPD Photo Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
nypd_49598-04: Felonious assault scene at 33 Union Square where Andy Warhol and Mario Amaya were shot by Valerie Solanas, front room towards rear door, facing west, June 4, 1968. NYPD Photo Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
nypd_49598-05: Felonious assault scene at 33 Union Square where Andy Warhol and Mario Amaya were shot by Valerie Solanas, towards rear door, facing west, June 4, 1968. NYPD Photo Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Warhol’s next appearance in the Municipal Archives is a more serene event documented in the Mayor Koch photograph collection. On April 5, 1983, Warhol appeared with Koch and Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden holding the poster he designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Mayor Edward I. Koch, Andy Warhol, and Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden holding a poster created by Warhol for the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial, April 5, 1983. The poster was used to promote Art Week and the Fifth Annual Art Expo in New York. Mayor Koch Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Legendary for his success in the art market, Warhol was also savvy about New York real estate. By the late 1950s he was successful enough to move to a townhouse at 57 E. 66th Street where he lived until his death in 1987.
Warhol’s townhouse at 57 E. 66th Street as it looked in the 1940 tax photo (at left). Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Warhol’s townhouse at 57 E. 66th Street in the mid-1980s tax photo at right. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Warhol’s name appears on the Department of Finance “property card” record for 57 E. 66th Street, Manhattan Block 1381, Lot 29, in the conveyance section, acquiring title to the townhouse on March 4, 1974. Department of Finance Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Andy Warhol died at age 58, on February 22, 1987, of complications following a gall-bladder operation. He is buried in Pennsylvania. In 1989 the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts awarded $25,000 to the Municipal Archives in support of a project to duplicate the 1940 tax photos.