249 ½ East 13th Street | Block : 469 | Lot #39

Description & Building Alterations

Built in the rear yard of 215 Second Avenue, 249 ½ East 13th Street was built in 1891 as a sculptor’s studio at a time when stables were frequently converted to studios. As such, the building appears as a faux-converted-stable. The little building was designed by architect Max Schroff for sculptors Karl Bitter and Giuseppe (or Joseph) Moretti, both of whom lived in the apartment building at 215 Second Avenue. While Moretti is listed as the original owner of the studio, it was built on the property belonging to Eimer & Amends and it was with their permission that the building was constructed. Bitter and Moretti only used the space for one year, after which they moved on as independent sculptors. Their two names are carved into the stone of the studio.

Karl Bitter was an Austrian born sculptor who immigrated to the United States in 1889. He quickly found success in New York City after winning the commission to sculpt the bronze doors for Trinity Church. While doing this work, he was introduced to architect Richard Morris Hunt. It was on a project for Hunt, the Marble House, that Bitter met Giuseppe Moretti. Moretti, a native of Sienna, Italy, began studying as a marble sculptor around the age of nine. When he immigrated to America, he had already worked as a sculptor throughout Italy, Croatia, Austria and Hungary. Moretti gained great fame as a sculptor in America, working with architects such as Richard Morris Hunt and for patrons including the Vanderbilts and the Rothschilds.  His statue Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama, is the largest cast iron sculpture in the world, and he is said to be the first person to use aluminum in sculpture.