77 East 3rd Street | Block : 445 | Lot #47

Building Date : 1899
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Jacob Rassewitz
Original Architect : George Frederick Pelham

Description & Building Alterations

This six-story old law tenement was erected in 1899, together with the buildings on Lots 49, 50 and 51, by owner Jacob Rassewitz and designed by George Frederick Pelham. It was to house 22 families and two stores. The facade features elaborate window lintels, spandrels, belt courses, and entrance enframements with a door hood. The cornice has been removed. The fire escapes were installed in 1938 when the Central Hanover Band & Trust Co. owned the building.

77 East 3rd Street has been the home to the New York City chapter of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club since the 1970s. In 1994, a federal lawsuit attempted to take away the clubhouse on the basis of a 1984 law that allowed the government to seize property where drugs have been trafficked. The group’s lawyer argued successfuly that the details of the case, and the public perception of the club, were false and the Hell’s Angels were able to stay at this location.

Block : 445 / Lot : 047 / Building Date : 1899 / Original Owner : Jacob Rassewitz / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / Original Architect : George Frederick Pelham

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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.

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