147 Avenue A | Block : 437 | Lot #30

Building Date : 1853
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : John Hoach
Original Architect : Unknown

Description & Building Alterations

This four-bay wide, five-story tenement was originally erected in 1853. It used to house the office of The East Village Other, one of the nation’s first underground papers. The East Village Other helped initiate the Underground Press Syndicate, a nation-wide syndication network that made it possible for papers in small towns to emerge all over the country.

The building today features exposed brick facing, thin molded lintels in neo-Grec style, and engaged pilasters flanking the main entry. The historical cornice has been removed from the facade.

Block : 437 / Lot : 030 / Building Date : 1853 / Original Owner : John Hoach / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Unknown

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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.