In the early 1870s, Friedrich Georg Strohmeyer came to America from Bremen, Germany and started working as a leather merchant. He advanced rapidly in business as soon became involved in the importation of peat moss, which was commonly used as bedding for New York City's thousands of horses. He prospered so well that in 1882 he was able to form a new company with his first employee, Hermann Arpe. Several years later, needing a bigger place to house their growing venture, Strohmeyer himself designed and built a ten-story building at the corner of Franklin Street and West Broadway in downtown New York City, an historic structure that stands there still.