248 East 7th Street | Block : 376 | Lot #16

Building Date : 1897
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : John Roth
Original Architect : J. Bockell & Son

Description & Building Alterations

This six story tenement building was one of two constructed in 1897 for $20,000 by John Roth of 227 Rivington Street to house 26 families. Like its twin at 252 E 7th, it is four bays wide with stone hooded lintels and continuous sills. The facade also features incised brick detailing and decorative spandrels. A bracketed cornice projects from the roofline.

The buildings were designed by architect J. Blackwell & Son and retain most of their original features. By 1901 two of the apartments had been replaced by stores which had their storefronts remodeled in that year. In 1960 new toilets were installed on each floor of the building which was owned by the Nison Corp (Samuel Kresue, president). In 1964 the dumbwaiters were removed.

Block : 376/ Lot : 016 / Building Date : 1897 / Original Owner : John Roth / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : J. Bockell & Son

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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.