Standard Motor Products produces automobile parts and components. Current on-site manufacturing operations include metal fabrication and machining, plastic injection molding, and assembly. They have occupied their Northern Blvd. location since the mid 1900's.

The Jim Henson Co. has signed a seven-year office lease for 12,000 square feet at 37-18 Northern Blvd. Best known as the creator of the Muppets, the company is relocating from Manhattan's Noho district. The firm provides digital visual effects, animatronic creatures, animation and soft puppets to the international film, television, online and advertising industries.

Built in 1919, the 301,000-square-foot building is undergoing a $10-million renovation, which includes new windows, exterior lighting and signage; elevator, electrical and building system upgrades; lobby renovations and the creation of modern common corridors. Along with the Jim Henson Co., major tenants include accessories designer Eric Javits, telecommunications provider Broadview Networks and Standard Motor Products. The building was formerly known as the Standard Motors Building.

An investigation of the Standard Motor Products property was initiated in 1990 after an oily sheen was observed in a puddled area on the southeast side of the property.[1]  Soil samples revealed elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily 1,1,1-trichloroethane.  Subsequent groundwater samples indicated contamination with 1,1,1-trichloroethane and lead. The highest levels of groundwater contamination are adjacent to the loading dock at the back of the building. A gas station upgradient of Standard Motor Products (on the corner of Northern Blvd and 39th Street) is the likely source of the petroleum contamination, including BTEX compounds and MTBE in the groundwater.

In 1994 a Delisting Petition submitted by Standard Motor Products to the NYSDEC was denied and a Consent Order was signed to begin developing a cleanup plan.  The first phase of remediation began in 2002, a second phase in July 2003, and a supplemental investigation of soil gas and groundwater monitoring was conducted in March 2006.  A work plan for soil, groundwater, and soil gas sampling inside the building was approved in December 2007 and sampling was completed in March 2008.  The results of this sampling are unknown.