254-260 Canal Street
|
254-260 Canal Street | |
 | |
|
(2012) | |
  | |
| Location |
254-260 Canal Street Manhattan, New York City |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°43′6″N 74°0′5″W / 40.71833°N 74.00139°WCoordinates: 40°43′6″N 74°0′5″W / 40.71833°N 74.00139°W |
| Architect | James Bogardus |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 06000475[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 7, 2006 |
| Designated NYCL | March 12, 1985 |
254-260 Canal Street, also known as the Bruce Building,[2] on the corner of Lafayette Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was built in 1856-57 and was designed in the Italian Renaissance revival style. The cast-iron elements of the facade may have been provided by James Bogardus, a pioneer in the use of cast iron in architecture.[3] The building was constructed for George Bruce, a prosperous printer and inventor of new technologies in the printing industry, which was then one of New York's leading industries.[4] It was converted to offices in 1987 by architect Jack L. Gordon.[5]
The use of cast-iron columns in the large, five-story tall building allowed for the installation of large windows that improved manufacturing conditions and efficiency. The lot had become available because a lumber mill standing on the site had recently been destroyed by fire, making fire-retardant cast-iron construction attractive. The mildly Italinate style of the building, makes it a particularly handsome example of nineteenth century industrial architecture.[4] It has been called "Beautiful!"[5] and "an important early example of cast-iron architecture in New York City".[3] If the cast iron did in fact come from Bogardus' iron works, the building would be "the largest and most important of his extant works."[5]
The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1985, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
References
Notes
- ↑ Staff (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ Miller, Tom. "The 1857 James Bogardus "George Bruce Building" No. 254 Canal Street" Daytonian in Manhattan (MArch 1, 2011)
- 1 2 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Postal, Matthew A. (ed. and text); Dolkart, Andrew S. (text). (2009) Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.) New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, p.36
- 1 2 Margot Gayle, Cast Iron Architecture in America, Dover Books, 1974, p. 166
- 1 2 3 White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5., p.74
External links
Media related to 254-260 Canal Street at Wikimedia Commons- photo of 254 Canal Street (A Journey through Chinatown).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
