107 East 2nd Street | Block : 429 | Lot #16

Description & Building Alterations

Nos. 107 and 109 are two identical five-story, four-bay brick tenement buildings, each adorned with a semicircular metal cornice. The lintels and window sills are likely cast iron. The original buildings date from 1836-1839 and were increased from 3.5 stories to five stories during an 1873 alteration as seen in the permit.

According to MoMA’s Inside/Out blog, which cites the book Claes Oldenburg: Writing on the Side 1956–1969, sculptor Claes Oldenburg opened “The Store” at this address in 1961. Here, he featured and sold everyday objects that he had constructed in the rear portion of the space using plaster and other materials. In the store windows, he imitated the layouts in which these items would typically be sold in other, nearby stores.