83 East 4th Street | Block : 460 | Lot #45

Description & Building Alterations

This three story brick row house was built between 1834 and 1835 in the Federal style. It features historic ironwork on the stoop and Flemish bond brickwork at the lower stories. The attic was expanded into a full third story by c. 1939 and the present cornice and window shutters were installed between c. 1988 and 2012, possibly as a part of a major alteration done in 1995.

By the 1880s, the building was being used as a meeting hall and has remained partially in commercial use ever since. Uses have included a synagogue, ballroom, dance hall, club room, factory, music hall, lounge, photography studio, and theater.

The 1955-1956 season at the Fourth Street Theatre included Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Uncle Vanya with Franchot Tone. Other productions starred Eva Gabor and Patrick O’Neal. In 1966, the theater was renamed Atelier East and hosted poetry readings for a short time before the St. Mark’s Poetry Project was established.