513 East 5th Street | Block : 401 | Lot #57

Description & Building Alterations

This pre-law tenement is part of a row of 13 speculative tenements developed by William B. Astor in 1859-60. The latter 10 of the buildings were constructed using one plan, with only minor alterations in details as material availability changed.  This building was the first of the series of 10 to be constructed, with building progressing eastward down the block.

No. 513 was designed in the Italianate style, but retains little of the original detail.  The arched lintels have been replaced with one continuous flat lintel, as have the window sills.  The pressed-metal cornice and raised-stoop entrance are missing.  The ground-floor shops were converted into apartments in 1960.