324 East 4th Street | Block : 373 | Lot #15

Building Date : 1839-40; alt. 2015
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Fickett & Thomas; 2015 : 324E4 DEVELOPMENT LLC
Original Architect : Unknown; 2015 : The Redd Group

Description & Building Alterations

In 2014, the building was altered significantly by removal of the front facade, putting in steel piers beams, concrete blocks, and adding two floors to the premises. The new structure was completed in 2015.

Before the alterations, the original house was built for Fickett & Thomas between 1839 and 1840. At this time, the East River was a significant part of New York’s thriving waterfront and the East Village housed many businesses and tradesmen associated with shipbuilding and trade. Shipbuilder Francis Fickett was credited with the construction of the SS Savannah, the first steamship in the world to cross the Atlantic Ocean and was the original developer of several homes along this block.

The original architect is unknown. In 1925 owner Esther Friedman raised the level of the basement and first floors and the main entry was moved to the basement.

Block : 373 / Lot : 015 / Building Date : 1839-40; alt. 2015 / Original Owner : Fickett & Thomas; 2016 : 324E4 Development LLC / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Unknown; 2015 : The Redd Group

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.