526 East 11th Street | Block : 404 | Lot #17

Building Date : 1888
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Emma J. Mason
Original Architect : Benjamin E. Lowe

Description & Building Alterations

This five-story old law tenement, designed by Benjamin E. Lowe in the Queen Anne style, was built in 1888 for owner Emma J. Mason. The red brick building was originally occupied by 18 families.

The storefront consists of pilasters and a modillioned cornice. The upper story windows consist of brownstone and plain lintels (the lintels on the third story have been replaced). In 1967, the deteriorated cornice was removed and replaced with a brick parapet. A map of East Village art galleries from 1983 (see sidebar) shows that Civilian Warfare was at this location.

Block : 404 / Lot : 017 / Building Date : 1888 / Original Owner : Emma J. Mason / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / Original Architect : Benjamin E. Lowe

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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.