(Temporarily) Hidden in Plain Sight: What is Revealed When a Building is Lost?

Our blog series “Hidden in Plain Sight” highlights the many architectural curiosities and unique features found on buildings throughout our neighborhoods — details you might not notice on first pass, but if you’re paying attention, they tell easily overlooked and often forgotten stories.

In late 2024, a loss that we knew was imminent arrived: the historic row of 19th-century buildings on the west side of Third Avenue between East 10th and 11th Streets was demolished. Village Preservation fought for years to save these buildings, which were steeped in the architectural and cultural history of the area, especially relating to commercial and art history. The six now-demolished buildings were part of our proposed South of Union Square Historic District, determined eligible for the State and National Register of Historic Places, and which we’ve been advocating to be designated as a New York City landmarked historic district. Had the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the district in time, the buildings would have been saved.

A silver lining is that the history of this block has been well-documented. As preservationists, we advocate to save, preserve, and adapt buildings that represent our city’s history; when that does not come to pass, we can, at the very least, carefully document these layers of history and make sure that this information about our collective heritage is available to the public in perpetuity. In the case of the Third Avenue row, one great tool to access this information is Village Preservation’s East Village Building Blocks resource.

East Village Building Blocks provides information about over 2,200 properties in the East Village, including dates of construction, original architects, original uses, and more, plus historic images and additional resources. It tells us that 50-52 Third Avenue, the southernmost buildings that were demolished, were a pair of three-story houses that had been conjoined in the 20th century. From the late 19th century until sometime in the 1960s, a store called “Sig Klein’s Fat Men’s Shop” existed in the northern storefront (the original No. 52). There are some great captures of the shop’s historical signage, bearing the phrase “If everybody was fat there would be no war”:

As evidenced by the 1940s tax photographs, around the 1930s and ‘40s Stuyvesant Loan Office was housed in the southern storefront (No. 50). Another fascinating aspect of the changing landscape of mid-century Third Avenue captured on film is the elevated rail across the street from these buildings: In 1878, the Manhattan Railway Company’s elevated railway opened above the center of the Third Avenue roadbed, with trains operating from South Ferry to 129th Street along the Bowery and Third Avenue. There were stations at East 9th and 14th Streets, which incentivized a wave of commercial activity along the avenue. The elevated rail was dismantled in 1955.

But beyond what we know from historical text and images, a neat outcome of the recent demolition is what became newly visible upon the loss of the buildings. As we await the beginning of construction for the new building, the lots sit vacant, and it’s quite rare to have such a large plot of land completely open in Manhattan, especially in the Village. As a result, there are several interesting artifacts that we can now see that are usually obscured.

One detail that’s been “hidden in plain sight” is the white-painted silhouette now fully visible along the side wall of 48 Third Avenue, the only building from the row that wasn’t demolished. It reveals the outline of the historic house at No. 50. Historical maps and tax records show us that a house was present on this lot since at least the 1830s or 40s, and an 1862 record indicates that the original building, a Federal-style house, was two stories tall. By 1868, the building was either significantly altered or demolished and replaced with a three-story structure.

The white silhouette (which has been freshly painted, but retains the previous outline) is likely showing the height of the facade and pitched roof line of this late 1800s iteration of the building, as it aligns with the 3rd-story windows of the extant No. 48. When the buildings at Nos. 50 and 52 were combined at the interior in the mid-to-late 20th century, their roofs were also altered and the original pitch was lost – now, for a brief period, we get to experience the impression of an early phase of construction along Third Avenue.

We are also left with a graffitied message, no less poignant than the quote from Sig Klein’s signage: “The buildings we lose.. As important as…[as the white outline has recently been repainted and now covers some of the text, it is left to the viewer to complete the sentiment, though if memory serves, I believe it ended with “…the people.”]”

To join our effort urging the city to expand landmark protections in the East Village, click here.

To join our effort urging the city to landmark the proposed South of Union Square Historic district, click here.