112 East 7th Street | Block : 434 | Lot #20

Description & Building Alterations

This Queen Anne five-story with basement tenement was constructed in 1889. It is located in the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District.

East 7th Street was known as Decatur Place in the mid-1800s. A number of its residents were prominent clerks and merchants, mostly of English and Irish descent. Decatur Place experienced a major architectural and social transformation in the early 1860s. In three years alone, nine new tenement buildings were constructed on the block, paving the way for an influx of first- and second-generation German immigrants. This was the beginning of Kleindeutschland or “Little Germany,” a sprawling ethnic neighborhood centered on Avenues A and B. Jobst Hoffmann, a Bavarian-born architect, not only lived on the block but also designed two of its tenements at 100 and 112 East 7th Street. The façade of the latter building features several architectural sculptures of “Green Men,” a traditional Germanic motif.

The present facade features some rich decorations including significant features like the ornamental stone pediments and balconies, pressed metal frieze and cornice on the first story, a terracotta cornice above the second story, and the ornamented entrance surround panel among others. Other historic details like the cornice have been removed and the projecting bay windows on the first floor have been altered. More information can be found in the Designation Report, linked in the “Additional Resources” section.