504 East 6th Street | Block : 401 | Lot #12

Description & Building Alterations

This five-story pre-law Italianate tenement was built in 1859-1860 as one in a row of 12 identical tenements by wealthy landowner and developer William B. Astor.  This row was built in conjunction with another matching row of tenements between Nos. 193 and 209 East 4th Street that Astor built the same year.

From its completion until 1868, the building was used to house military troops.  While other buildings in the area were used sporadically to house the military, this building appears to have been used for that purpose for much longer.  At this time, the military was increasing its numbers and likely needed housing for the new troops in the years during the Civil War.

While the ground-floor stores were converted into apartments in 1939, the rest of the original details remain, including the pressed metal cornice.