221 First Avenue | Block : 455 | Lot #41

Building Date : 1849-1850
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : John Bowen
Original Architect : Unknown

Description & Building Alterations

According to tax assessment records, the buildings currently occupying Lots 38-42 were constructed in 1849-1850, and Lot 41 was owned by John Bowen. In 1932, a one-story addition was constructed at the rear of the building by architect Sidney Daub. Tax photos reveal that the main massing and simple wooden denticulated cornice have been retained, while minimal changes have been made to the first floor storefront. The lintels have been removed. 221 First Avenue is four stories in height, three bays wide, and clad in red brick.

Block : 455 / Lot : 041 / Building Date : 1849-1850 / Original Owner : John Bowen / 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.