544 East 11th Street | Block : 404 | Lot #26

Building Date : 1860-1861
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Curtis & Graham Blatchford
Original Architect : Unknown

Description & Building Alterations

This five-story building was constructed in 1860.

Although this building has been continually utilized as mainly residential space, the façade has transformed. The eight-bay wide facade features star anchors, and a 1940s Tax Record photo indicates that the building originally consisted of Italianate features with a bracketed cornice and window lintels and sills. There was also a storefront on the ground level. In 1906, the building underwent an alteration by architect Otto Reissmann.

Prior to the 1980s, the facade was resurfaced to match that of the adjacent building, No. 546 East 11th Street. The Italianate features were removed, including the cornice and window lintels.

Block : 404 / Lot : 026 / Building Date : 1860-1861 / Original Owner : Curtis & Graham Blatchford / 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.