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- M. Fine Lumber Co.
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1301 Metropolitan Ave., Greenpoint; 718-381-5200
Beams made from longleaf yellow pine—incredibly strong, incredibly handsome—were the lumber of choice for East Coast builders a century ago, and by World War II those slow-growing trees had just about been used up. But M. Fine Lumber gives them a second life. When old buildings are torn down, Fine comes in to grab the best beams and planks, carting them to its 60,000-square-foot yard in Greenpoint and turning them into flooring and paneling good for another hundred years. The Fines have paired gorgeous old timbers with similarly glorious new projects: a living room for Calvin Klein, a vaulted ceiling for Julian Schnabel, shelving for Kate Spade. “No one does exactly what we do on our scale,” says Merritt Fine, great-grandson of founder Myer Fine. “We buy everything, and it helps everyone—the seller, me, the buyer, the environment.”
Best Vintage Lumber
From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine