250 East 4th Street; 250-254 East 4th Street | Block : 386 | Lot #11

Description & Building Alterations

No. 250 East 4^th Street, a six-story Old Law Tenement, was constructed simultaneously with its neighbor at 252 East 4^th Street in 1899. Both were designed by prolific tenement architect Michael Bernstein, were owned by John Kafka, and housed twenty-two families each.

The building at 254 East 4^th Street was constructed one year later by the same architect, but was owned by John Katzman. That building is also an Old Law Tenement and was built to house twenty-two families. The three buildings have been consolidated into one tax lot and today there are only 34 units in the three buildings.

The architectural detail in each building façade is well preserved. On 250-252 East 4^th Street there are decorative arches over the fifth floors and sculptural bands and blocks between the windows. The building at 254 East 4^th Street is ornamented mostly with decorative brickwork, rather than the stone-like material of its neighbor.