NoHo’s Grand Cast Iron-Fronted Buildings
The cast iron buildings of the NoHo Historic District tell a tale of industry and innovation during a pivotal phase of the neighborhood’s and New York’s development.
As the Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report notes, “the NoHo Historic District features many distinguished cast-iron-fronted buildings built between 1858 and 1888.” The report goes on to explain that the use of cast iron as a building material gained popularity in the United States following the War of 1812, thanks to increased accessibility of imports from Europe, where cast iron had been commonly used since at least the 1770s. New York City’s first fully cast iron-fronted building was erected on Murray Street in today’s Tribeca in 1848. SoHo, and neighboring NoHo, soon became hubs for commercial buildings that utilized this method of construction. Though the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District may contain the highest concentration of these buildings in the country, a number of important such structures are found throughout NoHo as well.
The earliest surviving commercial cast iron building within the NoHo Historic District, and one of the oldest of this building type in the city, is 620 Broadway, located between Houston and Bleecker Streets. The Renaissance Revival style store and loft building was designed for millionaire Henry Dolan by architect John B. Snook in 1858, with its cast iron facade manufactured by Daniel D Badger of the D.D. Badger Company. At the time, much of NoHo, and especially this section of Broadway, was shifting from a primarily residential to commercial area. The designation report notes that “typical of cast-iron-fronted buildings of this period, the facade is detailed to suggest that it is constructed of stone.”
Built nearly a quarter-century later in 1880-82 for Jacob Rothschild, the adjacent cast iron-fronted double store and lofts building at 622-626 Broadway was designed by architect Henry Fernbach in two phases. It replaced the popular Keene’s Variety Theater, in part, which had opened in 1856 and burned down in 1881, and had occupied a portion of the lot.
The new building was occupied by a variety of small manufacturers well into the twentieth century. In 1971, it was also severely damaged by fire, and was thereafter rehabilitated for use as an office building at its upper floors. The capping cornices of the south portion of both the Broadway and Crosby Street sides (Nos. 622-624) may have been modified at that time, while other sections of the bracketed cornice appear to be original.
A couple blocks away, Nos. 7-9 Bond Street are prime examples of New York City’s cast iron architecture. While 7 Bond Street was designed by Stephen Decatur Hatch for Robbins & Appleton American Waltham Watch Company in 1871, and 9 Bond Street was designed by Griffith Thomas for the attorney W.J.A. Fuller from 1872-73, the two buildings have many similarities. Both six-story structures feature Second Empire-style cast iron facades with mansard roofs, including dormers and oculi. By 1921, the buildings came under the same ownership, and were combined at the interior. The expanded structure served as a factory until around 1980, when it was converted into condominiums.
Though full cast iron facades fell out of vogue by the tail end of the 19th century, the material continued to be popular for storefronts and interior structural uses. You can learn more about this and other important phases of NoHo’s architectural development in our NoHo Historic District 25th Anniversary Tour.