181-183 East 2nd Street | Block : 397 | Lot #22

Building Date : 1898
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Louis Cohen
Original Architect : Michael Bernstein

Description & Building Alterations

This handsome Renaissance Revival tenement was built in 1898 for Louis Cohen as two of three separate buildings. Each building was designed to house 22 families.

The tax photo (taken between 1939-41) shows that the ground floor still had its storefronts at that time. A 1939 Certificate of Occupancy application reveals that it was likely converted to apartments after the photo was taken (the 1939 date only indicates when the application was filed, not when the actual work took place). Other than this alteration, the facade of the building retains its historic features.

Block : 397 / Lot : 22 / Building Date : 1898 / Original Owner : Louis Cohen / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / Original Architect : Michael Bernstein

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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.