221 East 2nd Street | Block : 384 | Lot #15

Building Date : 1874
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : John Alubach
Original Architect : Julius Boekell

Description & Building Alterations

The building at 221 East 2^nd Street was constructed by architect Julius Boekell in 1874.

The five-story building had a store on the first floor and two apartments each on the upper four floors. The façade of the first story appears to have undergone a renovation, while the upper stories retain more original detail including a cornice and window trimmings. At the time of the permit application for the existing building, there was another structure on the rear of the lot, three stories in height and housing six families. The rear building was likely demolished shortly after the construction of the existing building.

Block : 384 / Lot : 015 / Building Date : 1874 / Original Owner : John Alubach / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / Original Architect : Julius Boekell

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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.