543 East 11th Street | Block : 405 | Lot #41

Building Date : 1856
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Michael Lowe
Original Architect : Unknown

Description & Building Alterations

This four-story building was likely built in 1856 according to tax records. The simple and classical Italianate style is represented in the lintels and bracketed cornice. The facade is a simple red brick laid in a running bond.

The building has an interesting fire escape that utilizes ladders rather than the normal steep stairs. During the 1899 and 1900 alterations to the neighboring church, the building was annexed to serve as the parsonage (which it still does).

Block : 405 / Lot : 041 / Building Date : 1856 / Original Owner : Michael Lowe / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / 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.