177 First Avenue; 344 East 11th Street | Block : 452 | Lot #30

Building Date : 1838-39
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Murphy
Original Architect : Unknown

Description & Building Alterations

This four-story brick tenement was originally erected in 1838-39, one of the first houses on this block. Russo Mozzarella and Pasta Shop, an Italian grocery with freshly made food, was founded in 1908 in this location, and as of 2019 has two outposts in Brooklyn as well. The shop serves homemade fresh mozzarella, cured meats, ripe vegetables, breads, and a wide range of cheeses and pastas.

The current east facade features bracketed cornice with paneled frieze, simple molded lintels and rectangular sills. The north facade is mostly bare without decorative details. The storefront has undergone alterations.

Block : 452 / Lot : 030 / Building Date : 1838-39 / Original Owner : Murphy / 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.