Alvin Building

Written By Dino DiPietro

Here’s the history of the Alvin Building in Sag Harbor:

🏭 Alvin Silver Company (The “Alvin Building”)

  • Origins and Operations: The building stood at 103 Main Street and was home to the Alvin Silver Company, a manufacturer of flatware and hollowware. It began operations in Sag Harbor around 1911, having earlier roots from 1886 and ownership changes—including acquisition by .

  • Village Mainstay: Alongside the nearby Watchcase Factory (later known as Fahys Watchcase Factory), Alvin became one of the village’s principal employers into the early 1920s

  • New Year's Day Fire (1925): On January 1, 1925, a major fire devastated the Alvin Building, completely gutting the structure

  • Legacy & Commemoration:

    • Following its destruction, the company’s dies (used for silverware) were sold to Gorham Company of Providence, RI in 1928

    • In 2012, the Sag Harbor Historical Society erected a historical marker at 103 Main Street to commemorate its industrial significance during that era

  • Supporting Evidence:

    • A 1917 photo from the East Hampton Star Photo Archive shows the building functioning as the Sag Harbor Post Office, lining up local residents in front of “the Alvin Silver building”

    • A mural in the local Firemen’s Museum commemorates the 1925 blaze and the bravery of the firefighters

Connection with Nearby Industry

  • The Fahys Watchcase Factory—opened in 1882 after relocating from New Jersey—and later known as the Bulova Watchcase Factory, was a companion industry, built with architectural contributions from Carrère and Hastings in 1890. Both this factor and the Alvin Building defined the manufacturing character of Sag Harbor’s Main Street during that period.

Summary

The Alvin Building symbolizes Sag Harbor’s early 20th-century industrial era: it sat at the heart of a booming local manufacturing scene, employing many until the catastrophic fire of 1925. Decades later, its memory is preserved through public markers, historical records, and archival photos that echo its role in the economic life of the village.

Dino DiPietro