Town & Village — Thursday, October 8, 2015 — 5 Exploring Union Square’s landmarked buildings By Wally Dobelis egant original carriage house been the Daryl Roth Theatre is a gracious horse carriage In this year of many an- (1854), which has served as for several years. Note the house (1904) built by Van niversaries of political, civil residence, office, cafe and magnificent four columns. A Tassel and Kearney, a Beaux rights and social significance, now houses a restaurant, The few doors east at 109-111 East Arts survivor from the Gilded we should also celebrate House. Farther east, across 15th Street, the former Cen- Era. Originally a Horse Auc- those of direct impact on Irving Place at 129 East 17th tury Association Clubhouse tion Mart and subsequently helping New York maintain Street, is a red six-story seem- (1869) was another Gilded artist Frank Stella’s studio, its historic past, letting us ingly oversize town house, Age phenomenon. Union it now serves as work space preserve our architectural known to be the first apart- for various dance compa- and social accomplishments. ment house in New York City. nies. Farther south at 34 1/2 The Landmarks Law of 1965 It was designed by Napoleon East 12th Street, west of was prompted by widespread Le Brun of Metropolitan Life (Guardian Life), Broadway in a dark group popular anger over the loss tower frame and still serves originally named of houses (1855), was one of of Pennsylvania Station, the original purpose. Farther the first NYC all-girls’ public and the Union Square Com- east at 141 East 17th near the Germania Life, Photos courtesy of the Union Square Community Coalition schools. The building still munity Coalition was formed corner of Third Avenue (1889) changed its name to serves as a juvenile and other in 1980 to recover the badly Daryl Roth Theatre Building is a two story red structure activities center. neglected park and its neigh- which I knew 40 years ago avoid the stigma of To complete our list of boring 14th Street areas as Willie’s Grocery and Deli. World War I. Note five landmarking candidates from a large population of In 1922, it was the founding with a charmer, let’s go to the derelicts and drug addicts. office of Time magazine in an that the name chosen McCreery Dry Goods Store USCC was successful in apartment rented by Henry has a matching letter at 801 Broadway at East 11th helping clean up the park and Luce and Briton Hadden for count as Germania, Street, an early department gaining landmark designa- $55 a month, resulting in a store (1868) with colossal tions for the Ladies’ Mile and journal that revolutionized anecdotally suggested cast-iron facades. Despite the East 17th Street/Irving Place journalism. Luce and Willie to allow the thrifty loss of its great mansard roof Historic Districts, as well are now gone (the latter ap- in a 1972 fire, it is now a solid as in obtaining individual parently disappeared owing owners to reuse the apartment building. landmark designations for cash), and the deli became a heavy old roof-long If you are asking why 14 local buildings, and is bicycle shop. There is a note these 19 buildings were se- looking forward to securing in Margot Gayle’s book about light fixtures. lected by the preservationists the designation for five more cast-iron structures in New of USCC, please note that worthy buildings. York that demystifies the there are other local com- All of the above are de- cast-iron appearance of the Square has always been an munity groups equally inter- scribed in a gracious eight- building and suggests that it entertainment center, clean ested. Our historic heritage is page pamphlet, with a dou- was built on the remnants of and otherwise. watched over quite well by ble-page cover photograph an 18th century farmhouse. Moving east to Irving preservationists. of a 1933 Labor rally of the The next new proposed Place and then south, at 4 Wally Dobelis thanks type that made the Union (Above) Consolidated Edison building for landmarking is Irving Place between East Jack Taylor for information Square North Plaza famous building (Right) Former Guardian a gorgeous townhouse at 136 15th and 14th Streets a whole and references to the work for free speech and assem- Life Insurance Building East 16th Street (1850 and block is occupied by the of researchers, writers and bly. This review attempts 1889), a fine example of a Consolidated Edison Com- artists, such as Andrew S. to identify the 19 buildings transformation of single to pany (1911-1929). The Con Dolkart, Christopher Gray, with short descriptions, in multiple family residence, Ed clock, visible through Margot Gayle and Edmund a manner of an excursion or former home of the late archi- many bedroom windows, is V, Gillon Jr. Photography walk around the park area, tect Joseph Roberto. an important feature in the credits for the booklet are all within three blocks of the Coming back to East 17th neighbors’ lives, and let- due to Geoffrey Croft. If you Square. and Park Avenue South and ters to editors would be sent are interested in the work Starting at the southwest the structures already land- whenever the clock stopped of this local preservationist corner of Union Square with marked, we find some less functioning. group, write to the USCC, the Lincoln Building at One mysterious but equally his- At 126-128 East 13th P.O. Box 71, Cooper Station, Union Square West (1890), toric buildings: the old houses Street, east of Fourth Avenue, NY 10276. we will proceed clockwise in the Historic District. around the park. This large At 44 Union Square East building was named for the is a beauty, the old Tammany Abraham Lincoln statue Hall, once the headquarters opposite it, but placed out- of the Democratic Party. With side the park. Old Abe was Former Tammany Hall the advent of post-WWII subsequently moved into the Democratic Reform party, center of the park. we find the former headquar- other German revolutionary. the old machine lost power Across from the Lincoln ters of The Century and St. The firm, originally named and in 1943 sold the luxuri- at 22 East 14th Street is the Nicholas magazines in a fine Germania Life, changed its ous red and white meeting equally large former Bau- Queen Anne style building name to avoid the stigma of hall and office building to the mann Brothers furniture and (1881), now a major Barnes World War I. Note that the International Ladies’ Garment carpet emporium, with inter- and Noble multi-story retail name chosen has a match- Workers Union. The huge esting cast-iron decorations location. A door or two east, ing letter count as Germania, auditorium became a rental of sunbursts and garlands, observe that at 200 East 17th anecdotally suggested to al- space for union meetings with all in a framework of large Street on the corner of Park low the thrifty owners reuse many a deal negotiated right windows. Now, re-cross Avenue South, the tall Everett the heavy old roof-long light there on the street in station 14th Street and walk north Building of corporate offices fixtures. GLIC moved around wagons (beer extra). of the Lincoln Building. Just (1908), built on the site of the 2000 to Hanover Square, near Subsequently the building one block away on Union venerable Everett Hotel, has its original 1860 premises on was sold again and the hall Square West, we find, at the topmost floors of the two Wall Street, and the Park Av- became the Roundabout, then 31 Union Square West, the principal facades decorated enue South office building has the Union Square Theatre, first skyscraper in the area with rose-colored terracotta been turned into a W Hotel. also a theater and film school. (1903), the former Bank of tiles. The space east of 201 Park It was landmarked in 2013, the Metropolis, now housing Across the avenue at 201 Avenue South, a short struc- with many restructuring ca- the Blue Water Grill. Next to Park Avenue South is the ture designed by Skidmore, veats, particularly pertaining it at 33 Union Square West former headquarters structure Owings & Merrill (1963) at to roof-level additions. (1893) is the Decker Broth- of the Guardian Life Insur- 105 East 17th Street, was built Continuing on our clock- ers Piano building, built in a ance Company of America in a modern style calculated to wise path around the park, Spanish-Moorish style. Re- (1911), with one of the largest mix well with the 19th century at 20 Union Square East at cently restored by architect mansard roofs in New York. town houses on the opposite the corner of East 15th Street Joseph Pell Lombardi, it has The company was founded side of East 17th Street, now is the former Union Square an elegant roof area. Alas, in 1860 by German refugee part of the Historic District. savings Bank (1907) a classi- the minaret at the top still parliamentarian Hugo Wesen- And now we come to the cal design on a Greek temple needs recovery. donck, the brother-in-law of first four of newly proposed pattern. Designed by Henry Moving north then east poetess Mathilde, whose We- five landmarks. Practically Bacon (who also designed the around the corner into 17th sendonck Lieder were put to next to the Skidmore at 121 Lincoln Memorial in Wash- Street at 33 East 17th Street, music by Richard Wagner, an- East 17th Street is an el- ington, D.C), the building has .