The building was constructed by tea merchant Abiel Abbot Low, the father of future New York City mayor Seth Low, in 1881.[5][6] The structure, designed by J. C. Cady of the then-separate city of New York, replaced four brick buildings on Court Street and three on Remsen Street.[5] The Garfield Building was eight stories high and measured 121.5 ft (37.0 m) high, with a clock tower at the corner of Court and Remsen Streets. It was designed in the Italian Renaissance style, with a facade of brownstone on its first two stories and Philadelphia brick and terracotta on its upper stories, as well as a red-tiled roof.[6] Inside were 279 offices (illuminated by a light court), two elevators, and a law library.[5][6]
In the late 19th century the structure often served as a meeting place for railroad officials and the Brooklyn Republican Campaign Committee.[2] Colonel Charles L. Fincke, of the 23rd Regiment of the United States National Guard, maintained an office at the Garfield Building.[8] It also was home to lawyers.[9]
The Garfield Building was razed after a period of building inactivity following World War I. City departments were moved to a new Municipal Building and the Court Remsen Building.[10] The Chanin Construction Company, led by Irwin Chanin, bought the building from the Childs Restaurants chain for $1.3 million and announced plans in 1924 to construct a 26-story building on the site for $4 million.[11] The developer, the 26 Court Street Corporation, filed a lawsuit later that year, which sought to overturn an old covenant that banned development within 8 ft (2.4 m) of the sidewalk on Court Street.[12] The dispute was prolonged because many neighboring property owners opposed the proposed annulment of the covenant.[13] By May 1925, the Chanin Construction Company was demolishing the edifice.[6][14] During demolition, several workers were nearly killed after the building partially collapsed.[6]