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New York Architecture
Images-Soho 28 Greene St. |
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architect |
Isaac Duckworth |
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location |
28-30 Greene Street South of Grand Street |
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date |
1873 |
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style |
Second Empire Baroque |
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construction |
Cast Iron Facade |
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type |
Shop Office Warehouse |
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notes |
QUEEN
OF GREENE STREET Years ago this big iron–front building in the Second Empire style was truly glamorous and was known as the “Queen of Greene Street.” It was built in 1873 to the design of Isaac F. Duckworth, who earlier that year had designed the so–called “King of Greene Street” at 72 Greene. Sad to say, “The Queen of Greene Street” is now in disarray. The large iron facade is dingy, with peeling paint and rust. Its windows are filthy and graffiti mar the first level. Despite the rust and graffiti, the iron exterior has suffered few alterations. A photograph taken 25 years ago shows 28–30 Greene Street to be a structure of great dignity. Five stories tall, six when you count the mansard roof, its sumptuous Second Empire facade is best viewed from across the street. The building luckily is not obscured by a fire escape. The facade has six bays, with tall, broad windows framed by segmental arches with keystones. A central unit two windows wide runs from the street level to the roof cornice, where it terminates in a broken pediment. Pairs of free–standing columns define this central portion, while half–round attached columns stand between all other windows. Its mansard roof, which is like no other, has to be seen to be believed. The dormers are adorned with balustrades, keystones, pediments and finials. Since the 1950s the Rava family had owned 28–30 Greene, together with several adjacent buildings. They painted these contiguous buildings a bold blue, which led to their nickname, the “Greene Street Blues.” Recently, the Witkoff Group, a development company, purchased the building, along with several others in SoHo, and has plans for their renovation. |
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