241 East 13th Street | Block : 469 | Lot #43

Building Date : 1901
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Jacob Prenowitz
Original Architect : Michael Bernstein

Description & Building Alterations

Built in 1901 as an Old-Law tenement designed by Michael Bernstein, 241 East 13th Street has been painted to blend in with its neighboring buildings, with which it is now connected. However, when it was built, the light terra-cotta details would have been easily differentiated from the unpainted brick. These details, done in the Renaissance Revival style, include scrolled keystones, classically inspired beltcourse, lintels with scallop shells — a classic sign of welcome — and spandrel panels featuring cherubs. The sixth floor windows are arched and would have been topped by a pressed-metal cornice. The entrance has been removed now that it is connected to the other buildings.

Block : 469 / Lot : 043 / Building Date : 1901 / Original Owner : Jacob Prenowitz / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Michael Bernstein

Do you know this building? Please share your own stories or photos of this building here!

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.