Adventure magazine’s office – The Butterick Building

Adventure magazine was published by the Butterick Co., which was a sewing pattern company that also published magazines. Their office cum factory was in the Butterick Building, built in 1903, which housed the printing presses and the editorial offices as well as the sewing lines. In its time, this was a skyscraper.

This is what the building looked like in 1905. Note the horse drawn carriage near the building. Ford’s Model T was to yet to be introduced; It would arrive in 1908.

Another view from street level. This one is from 1910.

The plan of the first floor. The visitor entrance was on the intersection of Spring and MacDougal Street. There was a separate entrance for employees, and the building had elevators.

This is what the lobby of the building looked like in 1910.

The presses were located in the lower stories of the building. It was the largest publishing operation in the United States outside of the U.S. Government.

The shop floor where the cut patterns were folded.

The circulation department c. 1905

The Delineator editorial office c. 1904. The Adventure magazine office probably had a similar layout. Note the fire sprinkler system on the ceiling (advanced for its time).

A private office’s interior c. 1904

The building still exists today, though the interiors must have changed. It’s the home of Vogue Patterns, owned by the McCall pattern company. McCall took over Butterick’s and Vogue Patterns in 2001.