Carter's Review

This handsome, cast-iron, 6-story building at 10 East 14th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place was erected in 1884.  It has seven condominium apartments. 

It is known as Flats.

It was commissioned by W. Jennings Demorest, who, according to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation in a September 24, 2019 letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, "perhaps more than other figure transformed 14th Street in the late 19th Century from a high-end residential to a commercial thoroughfare." 

"Not long after it was built, 10 East 14th Street played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement, which was in a critical phase in the late 19th and early 20th centuries," the letter stated, adding that "artists, manufacturers and other groups advocating for social change also made 10 East 14th Street their home over the years." 

"Demorest was a notable figure not just for his impact on 14th Street.  Along with his wife Ellen Demorest, he built a fashion empire in New York City that included 'Madame Demorest's Fashion Emporium,' Demorest's paper patterns, and publications including Demorest's Illustrated Monthly Magazine and Demorest's Mirror of Fashions.  Demorest was a noted proponent of prohibition who ran for Mayor of New York City as the Prohibition Party candidate, and in 1892 sought and nearly secured the party's nomination for President."

"Another group that made their home here and fought for social reform was the Lunacy Reform League and the Anti-Kidnapping Union....At the end of the 19th Century and into the 20th century, the building housed both artists and businesses, a common trend at this time in the area.  Both groups benefitted from the wide expanses of glass that cast iron construction afforded..." 

The building is just to the east of a dramatic new building at the Fifth Avenue corner for the New School for Social Research.  Union Square is at the other end of this block as are a major subway station.

Bottom Line

A pleasant, small cast-iron building nestled up against the large bronze glass building of the New School for Social Research.

Description

A narrow, light-colored cast-iron building.

Amenities

The building has a keyed elevator and some balconies.

Apartments

The apartments have gas fireplaces, exposed brick, high ceilings, washers and dryers and double-paned windows.