I recently procured a copy of Oct 2005 Weird N.J. Magazine, that had an interesting article written by Robert H. Popper Jr about a building once owned by Houdini.
Below are some of the nuggets we learn about the building from the article:
- Julius S. Popper purchased the building from Houdini’s Estate in December 1926.
- The interior of the building was configured for processing of movie film.
- It was divided into many small light-tight laboratories, each containing a different chemical bath through which the film passed in sequence.
- Julius removed all this and installed metal working equipment.
- There was a dead-end corridor in the rear of the first floor, about eight feet wide and fifteen feet long. It had no windows and the only entry was at one end where one had to pass through two doors in succession. The width and height of each door was the same as the width and height of the corridor. Either door alone would have been sufficient to seal off the corridor, but Houdini used both, one after the other. One was hinged on the left wall of the corridor, and the other on the right. In the chamber created by these double barriers he practiced his escapes.
- Both doors were removed when the building was reconfigured for manufacturing.
- The building came with stacks of Houdini’s publicity materials, posters, billboards, fliers, etc.
- Julius used to wrap shipments until his company, J.S. Popper, Inc, started to become known as “The Houdini Company”.
- The building had a hidden vault in the basement.
Holy smokes!!! This has to be the Weehawken lab building HH bought and used for film development. Isn’t it?
Julius used HH posters, and other promotional materials left behind as insulation packing for his mail outs? THAT hurts!!! Where was Hardeen to remove this stuff out of the building when it was sold? Understandably, these items weren’t worth a whole lot back then, but Hardeen could have sold them off as he did other items.
Indeed, this is that building.
And Hardeen was around; he actually gave Julius a tour of the building and an autographed picture.
So THAT is the building. Thanks Joe! How could Hardeen leave all those goodies behind in the building? It doesn’t make sense. And who got the money from the sale of the building? Bess? I’ve never read about Bess selling off of the building until now. I’m sure Ernst had a sit down with her, and advised her to sell it off, among other things.
FWIW: Julius ended up placing the balance of the posters on the curb for trash collection.
You’re killing me Joe!!! I can’t believe Hardeen was this indifferent about his late brother’s posters and advertisements. At least he could have given them away at his own performances as prizes to fans who would have appreciated them. He knew that Houdini fans were in his audience.