Devoe

In 1754, a little paint business was started in Manhattan. Today, Devoe & Reynolds, paint and varnish manufacturers, is still an active concern-- perhaps the oldest commercial establishment in the city, and one of the five oldest concerns in the U. S. still actively engaged in business.

For 101 years, the firm occupied quarters at the corner of Water and Fletcher Sts., Manhattan. In 1855, expansion forced it to move into a larger location at Fulton and Dutch Sts., where it has remained for the past 70 years. Now continued expansion has again compelled a move, and this time the firm's executive offices and departments of its Manhattan branch will shift several miles uptown to West 47th St. near Fifth Avenue.

During the lifetime of the old paint firm, the country has changed from a group of British colonies to a great federated republic, and the population of New York City itself has increased from less than 5,000 to over 6,000,000.