193 Second Avenue; 193-195 Second Avenue; 239-241 East 12th Street | Block : 468 | Lot #7501

Description & Building Alterations

Designed in 1902 by Harde & Short Architects, this unique six story building on the corner of Second Avenue and East 12th Street is a New-Law tenement that originally housed 17 families over ground-floor shops. With its heavy window lintels, curved corners and bracketed cornice, the corner building, named Onyx Court, stands out from the converted row houses and smaller tenements on the block. This nicely ornamented facade, coupled with the larger apartments in the building, attracted a higher-class tenant than the smaller buildings.

Located on Second Avenue, the heart of the Yiddish Theater district, it was located directly across from the Yiddish Art Theater. By the 1930s, the building housed several actors and actresses who performed in this district. For more information about the building and the Yiddish Theaters, please click on the link to our Off The Grid blog under additional resources.