Brill Building

You are looking at the Brill Building, an Art Deco landmark that stands as the birthplace of modern American pop music. When it opened in nineteen thirty-one, the structure was originally named the Alan E. Lefcourt Building after the developer's son, who tragically passed away just as the project began. You can still see a niche near the main entrance that was designed to hold a bust of the boy, a silent memorial at the center of a building that would soon become incredibly loud with the sound of music. The property was soon taken over by the Brill Brothers, a pair of haberdashers who operated a clothing store on the ground floor, and their name became permanently attached to the address.