I found this labelscar (the imprint of a letter-by-letter sign on a wall) on the side of 344 Hudson Street. Waterman. Until I did research I didn't know what it was. For all I knew it was a restaurant that just closed. Turns out it's a lot more interesting then that.
L.E. Waterman invented what is considered the modern fountain pen in the 1880s. By the early 1900s his nephew Frank Waterman had built the company into one of the world's leading pen manufacturers; vintage Waterman pens are highly prized today. The original New York headquarters was half a block from this site, at 330 Hudson Street. In 1920 the company moved to Newark, NJ. In 1940, Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia began a campaign to get businesses to relocate to New York City, and Waterman was LaGuardia's first success story, signing a lease for this location in September of 1940. However, the company was rapidly losing market share to more innovative pen manufacturers, and the company shut down in 1954, meaning this labelscar must have dated back at least this far. I assume it must have been covered by another sign for a long time, allowing it to stay so well preserved (it's easier to see in person).
In the early 20th century the company had gone international, and when the parent company disbanded in 1954, the French subsidiary remained. That business was acquired a few years later by the French pen company Bic, and was later sold to Newell Brands, which still manufactures luxury pens with the Waterman name.
Wasn't familiar with Waterman pens... but that's pretty cool that pens with their name on them are still being produced.
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