The Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday declared the neo-Renaissance style Rogers, Peet & Company Building at 258 Broadway in TriBeCa a landmark.
The 8-story building was designed by John B. Snook & Sons and replaced a 5-story building on the site that was designed by Mr. Snook before he formed John B. Snook & Sons.
The commission said that the building was an early example of a steel-skeleton-framed skyscraper and stands out among a group of tall structure s built during the late 19th Century near City Hall in what was then considered the city's first skyscraper district. "It was constructed with the latest in fireproofing technologies and articulates its steel framing through the use of wide window bays and projecting piers,." the commission said.
"It's a handsome building designed by an important firm that reflects the evolution of commercial architecture in New York City and housed a well respected business for decades," Robert Tierney, the commission's chair, declared, adding that he "can testify personally testify the quality and longevity of Rogers, Peet clothing, having owned one of the its jackets for at least 20 years.
Snook also designed he A. T. Steward Department store at 280 Broadway, the first Italianate commercial building in the city. A three-bay addition was constructed on Warren Street in 1909 by he architecture firm of Townsend, Steinle & Haskell that continued the original design. Rogers, Peet was founded in 1875 and sold ready-made men's clothing. The Warren Street store closed in1976 and its top stories have since been converted into 48 cooperative apartments and the ground floor is occupied by a bank.
In other actions, the commission yesterday also designated the 6-story neo-Renaissance building at 1301 Surf Avenue in Brooklyn which was known as the Coney Island Theater and later the Shore Theater. It was completed in 1925 and designed by Reilly & Hall. It housed a 2,500-seat auditorium for vaudeville and motion pictures and was initially operated by Marcus Loew, founder the theater chain and built by the Chanin Construction Company. It was the tallest structure on Coney Island and was clad in buff brick and cream-colored terra cotta with stone and green terra-cotta accents. In 1964 it was renamed Brandt's Shore Theater and staged live burlesque shows and in 1972 it was converted to a bingo hall and subsequently to a bar and a chain restaurant. It is now vacant.
The commission also designed the 5009 Fifth Avenue Building on the northeast corner of 42nd Street. The 59-story, Art-Deco-Style building was built in 1931 and designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, which also designed the Empire State Building a few blocks to the south.
The 8-story building was designed by John B. Snook & Sons and replaced a 5-story building on the site that was designed by Mr. Snook before he formed John B. Snook & Sons.
The commission said that the building was an early example of a steel-skeleton-framed skyscraper and stands out among a group of tall structure s built during the late 19th Century near City Hall in what was then considered the city's first skyscraper district. "It was constructed with the latest in fireproofing technologies and articulates its steel framing through the use of wide window bays and projecting piers,." the commission said.
"It's a handsome building designed by an important firm that reflects the evolution of commercial architecture in New York City and housed a well respected business for decades," Robert Tierney, the commission's chair, declared, adding that he "can testify personally testify the quality and longevity of Rogers, Peet clothing, having owned one of the its jackets for at least 20 years.
Snook also designed he A. T. Steward Department store at 280 Broadway, the first Italianate commercial building in the city. A three-bay addition was constructed on Warren Street in 1909 by he architecture firm of Townsend, Steinle & Haskell that continued the original design. Rogers, Peet was founded in 1875 and sold ready-made men's clothing. The Warren Street store closed in1976 and its top stories have since been converted into 48 cooperative apartments and the ground floor is occupied by a bank.
In other actions, the commission yesterday also designated the 6-story neo-Renaissance building at 1301 Surf Avenue in Brooklyn which was known as the Coney Island Theater and later the Shore Theater. It was completed in 1925 and designed by Reilly & Hall. It housed a 2,500-seat auditorium for vaudeville and motion pictures and was initially operated by Marcus Loew, founder the theater chain and built by the Chanin Construction Company. It was the tallest structure on Coney Island and was clad in buff brick and cream-colored terra cotta with stone and green terra-cotta accents. In 1964 it was renamed Brandt's Shore Theater and staged live burlesque shows and in 1972 it was converted to a bingo hall and subsequently to a bar and a chain restaurant. It is now vacant.
The commission also designed the 5009 Fifth Avenue Building on the northeast corner of 42nd Street. The 59-story, Art-Deco-Style building was built in 1931 and designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, which also designed the Empire State Building a few blocks to the south.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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