At this address was the headquarters of "The New World," a small Russian revolutionary newspaper in exile, edited by Nikolai Bukharin and Alexandra Kollontai.

On January 14, 1917, America welcomed an unusual refugee from Europe, the renowned revolutionary Leon Bronstein, better known as Trotsky. When he arrived in New York Harbor, his name was already well-known, and major publications like the "New York Times" covered his arrival. Trotsky lived in the Bronx near Crotona Park and commuted almost daily by subway to work at "The New World," while his sons attended public school in the Bronx.

Trotsky delivered over 30 revolutionary speeches at venues such as Cooper Union and Beethoven Hall. When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne on March 15, Trotsky returned to Petrograd. After the Bolsheviks seized power in November, he took a significant position in the new Soviet government, participating in the creation and management of the Red Army. This event inspired the Bronx Home News to headline: "Man from the Bronx Leads the Russian Revolution."