CONTEMPORARY NY
Pict0296.jpg (124592 bytes) New York Architecture Images-Greenwich Village

U.S. Federal Archive Building Landmark

architect

Willoughby J. Edbrooke, William Martin Aiken, James Knox

location

666 Greenwich Street    

date

1899

style

Romanesque Revival (Henry Hope Reed "Roman Utilitarian")

construction

Brick

type

Warehouse

 

   
 

 

notes

Built near the waterfront as a warehouse for the U.S. Customs Service, this 10-story building was the largest structure to date in Greenwich Village. It is a typical Romanesque Revival building featuring round Roman arches, wide piers, and massive brick walls that are as thick as three feet at the base. Above, the masonry facade is broken by regularly spaced square and arched windows and a heavy cornice with arched corbel tables. Soon after its completion, the building was taken over by the U.S. Federal Archives. Since each floor contained over one acre of square footage, it was highly suitable as storage space for the agency's archival materials. Renovated in 1988, the building was converted into 479 rental apartments offering views over the Hudson waterfront and the West Village. An interior atrium was carved into the center of the building and retail spaces were integrated into the base. Some of the income generated from the building is used for historic preservation activities under the jurisdiction of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

contact

nyc-architecture.com