421 East 9th Street | Block : 437 | Lot #42

Building Date : 1886
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Jobst Hoffmann
Original Architect : Jobst Hoffmann

Description & Building Alterations

Built in 1886, this five-story brick building at 421 East 9th Street originally served as an apartment dwelling originally for ten families.

The present facade features a brick parapet, stripped lintels, round-arches tympanums, decorative panels and banding, segmental-arched openings on first floor, and a simple cornice above the first story. The first story is clad in stone and the front entrance is surrounded by molding, keystone, and a large door hood.

At some point between 1886 and 1930, storefronts were added to the building. In 1930, these storefronts were removed and the building was altered to serve as a dwelling for twenty families. The building continues to be used for apartments today.

Block : 437 / Lot : 042 / Building Date : 1886 / Original Owner : Jobst Hoffmann / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Jobst Hoffmann

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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.