Behind the Scenes - The Triangle Murders
Statue of Liberty waves her torch on Ellis Island
Brooklyn Bridge
Manhattan Skyline
Corner Bleecker and Macdougal Streets, Greenwich Village
Brown Building at NYU, formerly Asch Building, where Triangle fire occurred
Northern Dispensary, founded 1827,
Greenwich Village
CO Bigelow Pharmacy, dates to 1838, Greenwich Village
When I began researching the Triangle Factory fire, I traveled to Greenwich Village in Manhattan, not far from where I grew up in Brooklyn. The building in question looks quite innocuous today and, in fact, is currently used by New York University. It’s ten stories tall and the fire was located on the eighth and ninth stories. Think about the 146 people trapped there with no way out . . . but down.
My historic character, Cormac Mead, an immigrant from Ireland and a policeman at the NYPD, used to walk his beat by the CO Bigelow Pharmacy and the Northern Dispensary.
He and his wife-to-be, Fiona, met at Ellis Island. I was inspired to write that scene by the many stories told at Ellis Island, the Island of Hope, when I visited. It’s a marvelous museum and repository of American history.