121 East 12th Street; 115-121 East 12th Street | Block : 558 | Lot #44

Building Date : 1904
Original Use : Industrial

Original Owner : New York Edison Company
Original Architect : New York Edison Company

Description & Building Alterations

Constructed in 1904, this building was originally owned by the New York Edison Company, known today as Con Edison, as an electric transformer and distributing station. Originally, this building would have had a cornice. It was probably removed when a rooftop addition was constructed in the 1970s when it was converted into residences.

Block : 558 / Lot : 44 / Building Date : 1904 / Original Owner : New York Edison Company / Original Use : Industrial / Original Architect : New York Edison Company

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What is the Building Blocks Project

What does a building mean to someone who lives there? A person who lives on the block? In the neighborhood? In the city? This site presents a wealth of historic information gained from GVSHP’s architectural research survey about the buildings located in the East Village.

The site explores the area generally considered today as the East Village: from a northern border of 14th Street to a southern border of Houston Street, Avenue D in the east to 4th Avenue/the Bowery to the west. You can explore the information about the blocks and buildings featured here in two ways.

Pick a block. Maybe it’s yours, or perhaps it is just your favorite place to shop, grab a bite, or just people watch. Then explore the buildings that make up that block. Or take one of the many guided tours on the site, curated by a collection of organizations and experts from the neighborhood. See how they experience the neighborhood. Then tell us what the neighborhood means to you. The site’s comments section allows you to open a dialogue with others who feel just as passionately as you do about the East Village.