123 Second Avenue | Block : 463 | Lot #33

Building Date : 1834, altered 1913
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Thomas E. Leary/Albert & Dora Sokolski
Original Architect : Unknown/George Frederick Pelham

Description & Building Alterations

This building and its neighbors at 119 and 121 Second Avenue were destroyed in a devastating fire that occurred on Thursday, March 26, 2015. The fire was the result of an explosion that went off in the basement of 121 Second Avenue, killing two people and displacing all residents and businesses.

In 2018, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approved a new building at Nos 119-121 Second Avenue, click HERE. At this time, no new building permit has been filed at No. 123.

The building that stood here was constructed in 1834 by developer Thomas E. Leary. In 1913, architect George Frederick Pelham applied to raise the building two stories bringing it to its current size. For more information about this building and the neighborhood, please click on the links under Additional Resources.

Block : 463 / Lot : 33 / Building Date : 1834, altered 1913 / Original Owner : Thomas E. Leary (1834), Albert and Dora Sokolski (1913) / Original Use : Residential (1834) Residential/Commercial (1913) / Original Architect : Unknown (1834), George Frederick Pelham (1913)

Do you know this building? Please share your own stories or photos of this building here!

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.