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Seventh Avenue to University Place

The area contains continuing reminders of 14th Street’s involvement with the commerce of the avenues that intersect it. It is defined mostly by medium scale commercial architecture from the 1880s-1930s, with the exception of several institutions and large-scale midnineteenth-century apartment buildings.

Zoning Summary

C6-1 denotes a general commercial district outside a central business district, while C6-4 and C6-4M zones are medium bulk office districts. C6-2A and C6-2M are contextual commercial districts outside of a central business district and C6-2 and C6-3 denote a general commercial district outside a central business district. Zoning in this area is generally commercial but varies east to west. The general commercial districts differ in maximum allowable F.A.R., but are otherwise the same.

The zoning for this area is well conceived. It is generally in keeping with the height of existing buildings, and will encourage scale-sensitive infill. Under better circumstances, this entire swath of the street would be zoned contextually.

Physical Conditions

Physical conditions vary throughout the area, but many buildings are in need of moderate to serious restoration, or thorough cleaning. The former Baumann Brothers’ Store, for example, is in need of cleaning and painting; the polychrome terra cotta building at 154-160 West 14th Street needs cleaning; the Pratt building at 138 West 14th Street has suffered from over-cleaning. There appear to be few to no serious structural issues in any single building.

This three-block range is characterized by inconsistent height. The block between University Place and Fifth Avenue, for example, varies wildly in scale. The south side is still largely defined by its late nineteenth-century street wall and height, and consists of cast iron, flush stone, and one masonry building. The north side forms a much taller street wall, comprising two buildings, one of white glazed brick, the other of brick and stone (the Lincoln Building). The most varied block is between Sixth and Seventh Avenues on the south side. The Salvation Army, situated mid-block and consisting of three distinct masses, is a microcosm of the greater block; there is a five-story mass, an eight-story mass, and an eleven-story mass. Materials along that block include traditional masonry (bearing wall buildings), cast stone, cast iron, terra cotta, and stone.

The majority of buildings in the area range were built between 1880 and 1930. Each decade of that period is represented by buildings of different types and scales. There are commercial and residential buildings from the 1880s (former Baumann Brothers’ Store, 527 Sixth Avenue), lofts from the 1890s (Pratt Building at 138 West 14th), tall lofts from the first decade or so of the twentieth century (the Dix Building, the polychrome terra cotta loft at 154-160 West 14th), 1920s residential buildings (between Pratt and polychrome building), 1930s offices, and so on. The large scale apartment buildings of the mid-nineteenth century are the most conspicuous examples of their era among all types represented.

Historic Resources

There are no existing city landmarks in this area; the landmark Lincoln Building is on the block between University Place and 5th Avenue, but has historically been associated with Union Square, and has its address there (1 Union Square East).

Primary Resources:
Secondary Resources:

Issues

Each issue identified within The Plan is also an issue within this geographic section. These include the threat of real estate pressure, the deleterious effects of signage, the general lack of maintenance, the potential detriment to preservation caused by Local Law 11, and the general lack of awareness of historicity, interest in renovation and repair, and money to do work. Tools to address these problems can be found in The Plan. (Refer to Chapter V).

An issue with greater relevance in this geographic area and less in others is that of façade recladdings, of which there are two examples (the Sign Painters’ Union at 45 West 14th, and the former Hearn’s Department store at 8-12 West 14th). These buildings are important markers of change in taste and use, and present questions about historic integrity, facadism, and architectural distinction when their new facades themselves become old enough to be considered as landmarks. In the case of the Sign Painters’ Union, the donation of a façade easement would be an ideal way to preserve the building’s unique appearance in the even that it could not be designated.

Summary

The area between University Place and Seventh Avenue contains a rich assortment of intact historical fabric from the period ranging approximately between 1880 and 1930. For many New Yorkers, it is probably quintessentially 14th Street: old but maybe not what most consider historic or significant; it is raw, eclectic, and in-between. Despite the obvious lack of maintenance, the presence of obtrusive signage, the pressure to redevelop, and the apparent lack of local awareness and enthusiasm, there are a great deal of significant and valuable historic resources that deserve serious consideration for landmark designation. Zoning is already working to the area’s advantage. With the application of tools mentioned in The Plan, the historic resources located here can be preserved while not disrupting the abused funkiness that gives the place its vigor.