504 East 12th Street; 508 East 12th Street; 504, 506, 508 East 12th Street | Block : 405 | Lot #10-12

Building Date : 1904
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Charles Weinstein
Original Architect : George Frederick Pelham

Description & Building Alterations

These two six-story new law tenements have irregular floor plans that, when combined, form a central courtyard. This configuration allowed for more light and air to interior rooms. Architect George Frederick Pelham designed both buildings in the Renaissance Revival style.

Both buildings were featured in an article entitled “Two Model Tenement Houses” that appeared in Apartment Houses of the Metropolis. With the exception of the storefronts and a rooftop balustrade that may not be visible from street level, the architectural details remain intact.

A map of East Village art galleries from 1983 (see sidebar) shows that the New Math Gallery was at this No. 508.

Block : 405 / Lot : 010-012 / Building Date : 1904 / Original Owner : Charles Weinstein / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / 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.