56 Second Avenue | Block : 445 | Lot #2

Building Date : 1841, 1928
Original Use : Residential

Original Owner : John Valentine (1841), New York Jewish Evangelical Society (1928)
Original Architect : Unknown (1841), John B. Reschke (1928)

Description & Building Alterations

The building was originally built as a Greek Revival-style row house in 1841 for owner John Valentine, who also owned the house at 54 Second Avenue.

In 1904-06, alterations designed by architect Dr. G. E. Goldsmith for commercial use were conducted. In 1928, under architect John B. Reschke, the lower floors were transformed into a mission house of the New York Jewish Evangelical Society, with the third floor serving as the residence for the minister’s family. The alterations probably brought the new Classical Revival-style facade.

The building today features a pedimented cornice, pedimented entrance enframements, and historic eight-over-one windows on the second story.

Block : 445 / Lot : 002 / Building Date : 1841, 1928 / Original Owner : John Valentine(1841), New York Jewish Evangelical Society (1928) / Original Use : Residential / Original Architect : Unknown (1841), John B. Reschke (1928)

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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.