305 East 8th Street | Block : 391 | Lot #57

Building Date : 1902
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Nathan Silverson
Original Architect : George Frederick Pelham

Description & Building Alterations

This 1902 tenement building reflects the tenement law of 1901 and is considered a “new law” tenement. Rather than the dumbbell shaped footprint of its predecessors, this plan has more street frontage and open courtyards within the plan to allow for additional light and air. While missing its cornice, this building still retains much of its original detail. The Renaissance Revival style of the building is indicated by the colorful string courses at the base, simulated quoins framing groupings of bays and its classical ornament. The entrance retains its original Ionic columns. Built along with its neighbor at 299 East 8th Street, the original cornice would have likely matched the remaining one to the west. When built, this building was designed to house 30 families.

Block : 391 / Lot : 057 / Building Date : 1902 / Original Owner : Nathan Silverson / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : George Frederick Pelham

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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.