539 East 11th Street; 539-541 East 11th Street | Block : 405 | Lot #42

Building Date : mid-19th c./1960 alt.
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Unknown
Original Architect : Unknown

Description & Building Alterations

The current facade of this building is the result of a 1960 alteration that combined and refaced two tenements. The subtle difference in window height between the left and right sides of the existing building is evidence of these former tenements.

Both tenements were built in the mid-19th century, as seen on a historic map published at that time. According to c. 1940 tax photographs (see sidebar), they were simple Italianate style buildings with bracketed cornices and rectangular lintels. Both buildings were technically four stories high, but one had a raised basement (making it slightly taller) while the other had a commercial storefront at street level.

Block : 405 / Lot : 042 / Building Date : mid-19th c./1960 alt. / Original Owner : Unknown / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Unknown

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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.