185 Avenue B; 185-193 Avenue B; 600-602 East 12th Street | Block : 394 | Lot #10

Building Date : 2014
Original Use : Commercial/Residential

Original Owner : Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal
Original Architect : Architectura

Description & Building Alterations

This seven-story concrete mixed-use building was constructed in 2014 and was designed by the firm Architectura.

The former lots 6-10 making up the southeast corner of Avenue B and East 12th Street were once the home to the Charles Theater, which was demolished in 2013. Built in 1925 and designed by Eugene De Rosa, the large 2-story main building functioned as a 600 seat movie theater, support offices on the second floor, and five shops at the end of the building. The long facade on Avenue B had a triangular pediment where the marque once was. The building at this time was owned by Delancy Clinton Realty Co. and 600 Realty.

In the 1940s the theater was a second-run theater and by the 1950s it had been remodeled to have 1,000 seats. In the 1960s it functioned as a counterculture theater screening movies from experimental filmmakers. The Charles closed in 1977. The corner portion of the building was demolished around 2008 and functioned as a canvas for local graffiti artists.

Block : 394 / Lot : 7507 / Building Date : 2014 / Original Owner : Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal / Original Use : Commercial/Residential / Original Architect : Architectura

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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.