Abandoned Aigner Index factory (44-16 23rd street, LIC)

Published on: August 11th, 2016 | Last updated: July 29, 2018 | Written by: Joseph Anastasio

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History
This 2 floor abandoned factory space was built sometime between 1922 and 1944. The original occupant was the Aigner index company, which still exists today (based in upstate NY). They occupied the building through at the 1960s (and perhaps even later) according to records in an industrial catalog (Book Production Industry, Volume 6; Volume 44). It was but one of many paper product companies that were part of NYC’s industrial heritage. Later, the building was used by the Fred M Lawrence frame company – which also eventually moved out of NYC (this time, to Long Island). By 2015, the building was vacant.

This spring it was gutted and is currently being offered for lease as commercial space. Strangely, the building is under a 99 year lease, which for this neighborhood is bold move. Nearly all former industrial buildings of this size in the immediate area have become the target of resident condo tower developers. Just across the street, the former Andrea radio warehouse is being demolished to make way for a 66 floor residential tower. I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining though – there’s still plenty of life in these old industrial buildings.

Adventure
Getting in here was a breeze. At the time the interior was undergoing demolition to remove the existing, original plumbing, bathrooms, and partitions. Realtors were already marketing the building for retail use, as signs were set up to proclaim the buildings virtues to potential tenants.

Meanwhile, the roof became a very short-lived graffiti haven, covered in Vex throwies and straight letters. Being level with the 7 train, this was a pretty unsurprising turn of events.

Eventually, the entire building was repainted, with new windows and flooring installed. It’s still unoccupied, though that will likely change in the coming weeks and months.

Comments

NOTE: It sometimes takes a short while for comments to be approved - unfortunately there's a lot of spam comments that come in. I absolutely love when y'all share personal stories of friends relatives etc who worked in these places. It really helps capture what these places were like before they closed up shop.

If you're feeling salty, argumentative comments completely devoid of facts (supply links to support your argument) will not be published. Got a case to state? come with the details.

2 responses to “Abandoned Aigner Index factory (44-16 23rd street, LIC)”

1. PegLegGuy says:

   August 20, 2016 at 9:03 AM

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   Good pics.

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2. Lisa Pantaleo says:

   September 3, 2017 at 9:22 AM

   Hi! I had to comment on this article – my name is Lisa, I own barre3 Long Island City the first new tenant of this building.
   It was great to learn more about the history of the space and I especially loved the line about there sill being plenty of life in these old industrial buildings. Barre3 is a boutique fitness studio and an exciting new venture for my husband and I, one we have been working to open for quit some time now and we’re so in love with its soon to be home inside these walls. We will surely be bringing a new found energy and life to the building and can’t wait to share it all with the LIC community. I had to write in when I saw the last name of the author, Anastasio is my maiden name
   – what are the odds! Thanks again for sharing this piece.

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