Carter's Review

One block north of Union Square Park on Broadway is the extravagant and handsome tower of the MacIntyre Building at 864 Broadway on the northeast corner at 18th Street.

The neo-Gothic, 12-story cooperative apartment building dates to about 1892 and is distinguished by its handsome turrets, arched windows and very attractive terracotta façades.

It was financed by Ewen McIntyre and was designed by R. H. Robertson.

The A. I. A. Guide to New York City by Norval White and Elliot Willensky described the building as "unspeakable eclectic: a murmuration of Byzantinue columns, Romanesque arches, Gothic finials and crockets - the designed used the whole arsenal of history in one shot."

In his April 9, 2000 "Streetscapes" column in The New York Times, Christopher Gray noted that "McIntyre did not occupy his namesake building, but rather rented out the space, apparently as offices," adding that "by 1930 the building was dominated by china and textile representatives, apparently mostly as wholesalers."

"In the mid-1970s," the article continued, "a group that included artists, potters, photographers and an architect bought the building and informally converted it to co-op...Robert and Ursula Garrett moved into the corner space on the seventh floor in 1977...Their space had been an illegal nightclub, the Cobra Club, and they had to clear out a glass cage that had been used to display snakes....Mr. Garrett said that snakes were spotted in the building for years afterward and that the first bylaws specifically prohibitged exotic pets."

The building is convenient to public transportation and many restaurants.