Mavi Boncuk |THE SCHINASI BROTHERS
1893---ca. 1907
Superior high quality cigarettes made from expensive imported Turkish tobacco were the dream of the two Schinasi brothers when in 1893 they open a small factory at 48 Broad Street, New York City. Solomon and Morris (who had changed his name from Mustafa) were immigrants from Turkey who had learned to make a good cigarette in Alexandra, Egypt. The brothers arrived in America with a single secret cigarette blend of rich Turkish tobaccos that they had developed after years of experimentation. By 1904 the success of their Natural, Prettiest, and Royal brands necessitated a move to a new and much larger six story building located on West 120th Street. The second floor of this modern factory was used to blend or mix the different Oriental tobaccos needed to make the popular Schinasi brands. The different cigarette blends called for the tobaccos to be mixed in blocks of 20,000 pounds at a time. Junior partner Morris made a yearly trip to the Schinasi purchasing house in Cavalla (now in Greece), Turkey where he supervised the selection of the many varieties of Turkish tobaccos needed. The Egyptian style cigarettes were rolled on the fourth floor using ten Ludington machines. As many as three hundred girls packed the finished cigarettes into the colorful Schinasi boxes on the third floor. In a March 1904 interview, Solomon Schinasi stated that as long as he and his brother controlled their business, smokers could continual to expect the same high quality smoke first produced in 1893. The brothers helped create a demand for Egyptian style cigarettes in the United States, and managed to sell enough of their Egyptian Prettiest[1] and Natural boxes for both to own homes in the expensive Morning Side Heights section of New York City. In 1907 Morris began building his family mansion at 107th Street and Riverside Drive, while Solomon bought Isaac Rice's mansion at 89th Street and Riverside Drive.
Having the knowledge and experience from their homeland, the two The Schinasi Brothers started their own cigarette company downtown, in a small factory on Broad Street. Success would come quickly and, by 1907, they needed more space for the expanding business and moved to a larger factory uptown on West 120th Street in what is now South Harlem. Morris by 1909 had the now famous family mansion built on 107th street at Riverside Drive and so was in walking distance from his new factory.
Both structures still stand today but in very different states. The Schinasi Mansion is on sale for $30 million while the factory is a more humble children's academy. The two photos above show the grand decline of the building over the years. Windows have been sealed over, parapets removed along with the main shop front. The sculpture portals seem to be the only detail recognizable to this day, but the building's longevity is a pleasant surprise in itself. Take the B,C train to 116th Street and walk to 120th Street between Morningside Avenue and Manhattan Avenue.
"SCHINASI BROS. SELL FOR $3,500,000 CASH; The Tobacco Products Corporation Absorbs Big Independent Industry. GETS MUCH TURKISH LEAF The Factories Acquired Turn Out About 250,000,000 Cigarettes a Year." NY Times March 3, 1916
[1] Marshall Neilan featured on a 1920s T83 Movie Stars - Schinasi Brothers Egyptian Prettiest Tobacco Card.
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