54 Second Avenue; 43 East 3rd Street | Block : 445 | Lot #1

Building Date : 1841, 1892
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : John Valentine (1841), Ferdinand Spangenberg (1892)
Original Architect : Unknown (1841), Kurtzer & Rohl (1892)

Description & Building Alterations

This building was erected in 1841 as a Federal-style house. The first floor and basement were altered by Kinkel & Klemt in 1871, to be occupied by a grocer and a wine saloon. The fourth story and rear extension were added in 1892, designed by Kurtzer & Rohl.

The molded cornice remains on the facade, though the window lintels have been removed and the ground floor largely rebuilt, featuring massive concrete piers and glazing.

Block : 445 / Lot : 001 / Building Date : 1841, 1892 / Original Owner : John Valentine (1841), Ferdinand Spangenberg (1892) / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Unknown (1841), Kurtzer & Rohl (1892)

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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.