56 East 7th Street | Block : 448 | Lot #12

Building Date : 1893
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : Charles Ruff
Original Architect : Schneider & Herter

Description & Building Alterations

This five-story with basement tenement was built in 1893, designed by architects Schneider & Herter for owner Charles Ruff as part of a row of houses along with No. 52 and No. 54 East 7th Street.

The three buildings share a similar Queen Anne-style facade design. No. 56 has been stripped of its decorative details on the first story, except for the main entry portico. The upper stories feature round-arched window openings on the second story, and terra cotta details including pedimented window lintels on the fourth story, foliate panels, beltcourses, tympanum and keystones. The cornice on this building has been removed.

Block : 448 / Lot : 012 / Building Date : 1893 / Original Owner : Charles Ruff / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Schneider & Herter

Do you know this building? Please share your own stories or photos of this building here!

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.