USA: The Past Becoming The Future: Repurposed Historic Sites on the Lower East Side

New York, NY. The former Forward building, seen from Seward Park. Photo: Samuel Gruber 2005

Tour of Lower East Side "Re-purposed" Buildings

(ISJM) Following the large interest in and support for the landmark designation and preservation of the former Bialystoker Home on East Broadway on New York City's Lower East Side, The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC) is offering a tour to visit the area's two other important secular Jewish towers central to the lives of the Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrant community of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

LESJC will offer a tour of the Jarmulowsky Bank and the Yiddish Daily Forward Building. The bank was founded by immigrant financier Sender Jarmulowsky and notorious for the hope it inspired in the community and despair it created when its closed its doors (and depositors lost their money) in 1917.  The imposing 12-story Beaux-Arts building, a designated New York City landmark designed by Jewish architects Rouse & Goldstone in 1911, was sold for $36 million in 2012 and is now  being transformed into a boutique hotel. 

Rouse & Goldstone was one several successful architectural firms in the city in the first quarter of the 20th century with Jewish principals.  Most of these firms specialized in apartment houses and commercial structures and worked closely with a real estate developers.  Information on firm can be found at David Lubell's blog Prewar Passion: The Quest for the Perfect New York Apartment.

 Here is an excerpt:

[William L.] Rouse and [Lafayette A.] Goldstone formed their partnership in 1909, and their collaborations demonstrate a facility in adapting the architectural vocabulary of the Renaissance to tall-building forms. These buildings, all designed in the Renaissance Revival or neo-Renaissance style, include the thirteen-story Riviera at 790 Riverside Drive (1909-11), which was one of the largest apartment houses in New York at the time of its completion; the twelve-story Montana Apartments (1912, but since demolished) on Park Avenue; and the nine-story apartment house at 43-47 East 62nd Street (1914-15), which earned the firm a Gold Medal from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. In 1924, the firm received one of its most prominent commissions, for the apartment house at 1107 Fifth Avenue. 1107 Fifth was designed and built for Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton, whose townhouse formerly stood on the site. Her personal apartment occupied the top three floors of the building, and was one of the largest apartments ever built in New York. Although Rouse & Goldstone is best remembered for its opulent apartment houses, the firm designed other types of buildings, including lofts, theaters, hotels, and several country houses on Long Island. The S. Jarmulowsky Bank Building is among the firm’s finest commercial buildings, along with the Hampton Shops Building (1915) which was designed in the neo-Gothic style to harmonize with St. Patrick’s Cathedral across East 50th Street.

Rouse and Goldstone dissolved their partnership at the end of 1926. Rouse remained active until 1939, and Goldstone continued to practice until the late 1940s. Both continued to make valuable contributions after the dissolution of their partnership.

 

New York, NY. The former Forward Building.  Facade detail. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2005

The Daily Forward Building was built in 1912 and for decades, home to the most popular and influential Yiddish daily, this magnificent landmark was converted to high end condominiums.  The tour will also visit the former P.S. 12 (1908) - designed by prolific school architect Charles B.K. Snyder.

Tour: The Past Becoming The Future: Repurposed Historic Sites on the Lower East Side   

Sunday, April 21, 2013      10:45 AM 

The LESJC is thrilled to offer this unique tour, featuring visits to three historic buildings whose adaptive reuse has ensured their relevance in today's LES landscape:

Jarmulowsky Bank (1911): Founded by immigrant financier Sender Jarmulowsky, this imposing Beaux-Arts edifice is being transformed into a boutique hotel;

The Yiddish Daily Forward Building, (1912) For decades, home to the most popular and influential Yiddish daily, this magnificent landmark was converted to high end condominiums;

P.S. 12 (1908) - Designed by famous school architect Charles B.K. Snyder, this classic structure on Madison Street has been transformed to a luxury residential dwelling called The Madison-Jackson.

Michael Bolla, a Managing Director of Douglas Elliman. with over 22 years of hands-on experience in the Manhattan real estate and development industries, has amassed an impressive portfolio of buildings in Soho, Tribeca, Lower East Side, Chelsea, and the Upper East Side. Having created an unparalleled network of talent specializing in everything related to Manhattan Real Estate, Mr. Bolla is frequently referred to as a "brilliant strategic analyst" by his clients. We are thrilled to have him share his expertise of these 3 unique spaces on this very special tour. Please read more about Michael at www.michaelbolla.com to browse his portfolio of architectural design work, as well as a list of numerous clients and buildings that he has represented.

Time: 10:45 AM

Meeting Place: The LESJC Kling & Niman Family Visitor Center 400 Grand Street (between Clinton & Suffolk Streets)

Fees/Info: Adults: $18; seniors and students: $16
($2 additional day of tour)