# F. W. Woolworth Building

Watertown, NY · other · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `n-e0c2ae8477` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/other/ny/watertown-f-w-woolworth-building/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/n-e0c2ae8477.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/n-e0c2ae8477.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/n-e0c2ae8477

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | built | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | reinhabit | none |
| New use | housing, retail | none |
| What is there now | upper floors into low-income residential apartments. The ground floor is to remain commercial space. | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1921 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 2007 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2013 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Frank W. Woolworth | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Anchors

Woolworth's Department Store

## Timeline

- 1916: Plans for the Woolworth Building were begun
- 1919: Plans halted due to Woolworth's death
- 1921: Building opened
- 1921: Opened
- 1971: Woolworth's Department Store moved out
- 2007: Building closed due to declining occupancy and poor maintenance
- 2007: Closed
- 2008: Developer purchased building with plans for a boutique hotel
- 2012: Hotel plan abandoned, new proposal for low-income apartments
- 2013: Restoration work began
- 2013: Retrofit: reinhabit
- 2015: Restoration complete and building occupied

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

The Woolworth Building is a historic building in Watertown, New York. It is a contributing building in the Public Square Historic District. Plans for the Woolworth Building were begun in 1916 by Frank W. Woolworth, the founder of the  Woolworth's chain of department stores. 


== History ==
Woolworth began his retail career at the Smith and Moore Dry Goods Store in Watertown in 1873. It was during his time here that he was given the idea of selling fixed price merchandise, which led him to create his successful chain of five and dime department stores in 1879.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._W._Woolworth_Building_(Watertown,_New_York)

## Sources

- F. W. Woolworth Building (Watertown, New York) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._W._Woolworth_Building_(Watertown,_New_York)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "F. W. Woolworth Building, Watertown, NY." Record n-e0c2ae8477, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/other/ny/watertown-f-w-woolworth-building/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_watertownfwwoolworthbuilding,
  title = {F. W. Woolworth Building, Watertown, NY},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/other/ny/watertown-f-w-woolworth-building/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record n-e0c2ae8477, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.