191 East 2nd Street | Block : 397 | Lot #27

Description & Building Alterations

This three-story rowhouse was built circa 1835 according to tax records, although the owner information is illegible. It was built in the Federal style, with simple lintels and Flemish bond brickwork.  It likely originally had a pitched roof with dormer windows, making the attic level not a complete floor.  Around 1860, the third floor was added and the Italianate cornice with its heavy brackets was installed.  It is possible that the lintels and sills were changed at this time to match the new third-floor windows, as the 1940s tax photo shows lintels that are more in keeping with the Italianate style. They have since been shaved down.  Likely at the same time, the rowhouse was converted to a multiple-family dwelling with shops in the partially-raised basement.

The original lots on either side likely were very similar to this row house: 189 East 2nd Street, before the addition of several floors and full conversion into a tenement in the 1870s; and 193 East 2nd Street, now a community garden.