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The city business that made eyes for Columbo, Sammy
Photo credit: Urbanite
Peter Falk (aka Columbo), Sammy Davis Jr., Helen Keller, Joseph Pulitzer, Jay Vanderbilt: Thats a diverse bunch that share a common trait.
They all needed at least one artificial eye in their lifetimes and used the services of eye-maker Mager and Gougelman here in the city.
Mager and Gougelman started as Gougelman & Co. in 1851, when Peter Gougelman originally from Sweden emigrated from France to New York City. He brought with him knowledge of his unique craft: fashioning artificial eyes. Its a trade he passed on to his descendants.
Today, Mager and Gougelman is one of the oldest family-run businesses in the city with a distinguished list of clients as you can see.
Last week, David Gougelman spoke with amNewYork about growing up in a family that crafted eyeballs. Check it out here.
-- Garett Sloane















