2 Horatio Street
Encyclopedia
2 Horatio Street is a landmarked residential building located in the Greenwich Village Historic District on the west side of lower Manhattan
in New York City
.
It faces north onto Horatio Street (named for Major General Horatio Gates
) and Jackson Square Park
. It borders Greenwich Avenue to the east.
In April 1929 the developer brothers Bing & Bing
announced that they had acquired all the necessary land on Horatio, West Twelfth and Christopher Streets to build five high-end residential buildings in a concerted effort to "recreate" the Greenwich Village
neighborhood.
For 2 Horatio Street, Bing & Bing chose architect Robert T. Lyons
. They had just finished working with him on the Gramercy Park Hotel
which had opened just a few years earlier in 1925. The Bing brothers and Lyons also partnered on what was a major technological breakthrough in 1916 -- creating the world's tallest apartment building at 17 stories on Park Avenue.
2 Horatio Street is rendered in red and brown brick. It has Art Deco
references that include four horizontal, terra cotta
decorations using greek key
motifs at the fourth and sixteenth floors and circle-in-square motifs at the cornice
. Granted an occupancy license on August 7, 1931 the building operated initially as an apartment hotel
with a dining room on the ground floor.
A significant addition was added in 1963 fronting Horatio Street adding four apartments per floor. The building was sold by Bing & Bing in 1985 and became cooperative apartments in 1987.
It houses 242 cooperative apartments and one commercial space.
Bing & Bing
The firm was founded by brothers Leo S. Bing and Alexander Bing
.
“The Bing & Bing
buildings are regarded as among the city's finest prewar properties,” according to a 1986 article in the New York Times which continues, “founded in 1906, [Bing & Bing] built hotels and apartments at a time when luxurious in New York was still synonymous with spacious.”
Although they had built many residences at finer addresses on the Upper West and Upper East sides, this was their first major venture this far downtown.
1931 promotional material for 2 Horatio Street declared, “In every case the living room is large and beautifully proportioned and has a wood-burning fireplace. The wide expanse of unbroken wall space permits the expression of your individuality in furnishing.” Special features cited were “oversize rooms, immense closets, dining foyers, dressing rooms, ornamental railings and RCA radio outlets…”
at the same time.
In addition to 2 Horatio Street they built 299 West 12th Street
and 59 West 12th Street
-- both with architect Emery Roth
.
They built 302 West 12th Street
and 45 Christopher Street
-- both with the architectural firm of Boak and Paris.
Leo Bing, announced on April 1, 1929 that his firm had quietly acquired 75 small lots and old buildings largely around Abingdon Square, Sheridan Square and Jackson Square Park
. And the lots would be combined to allow for a set of larger-scale, 17-story apartment buildings.
Also, in more practical terms, he mentioned the "imminent" IND Eighth Avenue Line
, and recent completion of the West Side Elevated Highway
and even the Holland Tunnel
as increasing accessibility to—and demand for—the area.
would start with a jolt in New York City with the Wall Street Crash of 1929
on October 29. But Bing & Bing persevered.
By September 1931 as the building openings approached, a New York Times article expressed the concerns at the time under a headline that said,"Tall apartments in Village centre. Opening This Fall. Presents rental problem. Situation Unprecedented." Referring also to four additional buildings of about the same height in addition to the Bing & Bing five that were about to open.
Quoted in the same article, Bing & Bing reported that the "five new buildings on Christopher, Horatio and West Twelfth Streets are proving among the most popular of all the Bing & Bing apartment properties. Callers have been numerous…and a high percentage of the space has been leased.”
Architect Robert T. Lyons
Robert Timothy Lyons was born in New York on February 23, 1873.
Emporis, the global real estate data and photo publishing firm, identifies a partial list of Mr. Lyons work that includes 29 buildings in New York City built largely between 1891 and 1931. Most are hotels or residential buildings but a few are commercial. Many are on Park Avenue, but other areas include the Upper West Side and mid-town.
One of the most prominent projects in which Mr. Lyons partnered with the Bing brothers was the Gramercy Park Hotel
which was completed in 1925. It is located at the commencement of Lexington Avenue on Gramercy Park
and was built on the site of architect Stanford White’s home.
Mr. Lyons and the Bing brothers also worked together on what at the time was “the tallest apartment building in the world” at 903 Park Avenue at 79th Street—breaking the record of 12 stories with 17 stories when it opened in 1916.
Architect Robert T. Lyons
' earlier notable work, done without the Bing brothers' involvement, include the “St. Urban” on Central Park West at 89th Street which opened in 1906.
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
It faces north onto Horatio Street (named for Major General Horatio Gates
Horatio Gates
Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga – Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg – and...
) and Jackson Square Park
Jackson Square Park
Jackson Square Park is a .227 acre New York City Park located in the Greenwich Village Historic District just below the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 14th Street...
. It borders Greenwich Avenue to the east.
In April 1929 the developer brothers Bing & Bing
Bing & Bing
Bing & Bing was one of the most important apartment real estate developers in New York City in the early 20th century.The firm was founded by Leo S. Bing and his brother, Alexander M. Bing...
announced that they had acquired all the necessary land on Horatio, West Twelfth and Christopher Streets to build five high-end residential buildings in a concerted effort to "recreate" the Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
neighborhood.
For 2 Horatio Street, Bing & Bing chose architect Robert T. Lyons
Robert T. Lyons
- Architect Robert T. Lyons :Robert Timothy Lyons was born in New York on February 23, 1873.Emporis, the global real estate data and photo publishing firm, identifies 29 of Mr. Lyons' buildings in New York City in some detail -- built largely between 1891 and 1931 . They are virtually all hotels...
. They had just finished working with him on the Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel is a luxury hotel located at 2 Lexington Avenue, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, adjacent to Gramercy Park. It is known for its rich history.-History:Gramercy Park Hotel was designed by Robert T...
which had opened just a few years earlier in 1925. The Bing brothers and Lyons also partnered on what was a major technological breakthrough in 1916 -- creating the world's tallest apartment building at 17 stories on Park Avenue.
2 Horatio Street is rendered in red and brown brick. It has Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
references that include four horizontal, terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
decorations using greek key
Greek key
Greek key may refer to:*An artistic meander pattern*Beta sheet#Greek key motif: A motif in proteins based on the meander pattern...
motifs at the fourth and sixteenth floors and circle-in-square motifs at the cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. Granted an occupancy license on August 7, 1931 the building operated initially as an apartment hotel
Apartment hotel
An Apartment Hotel is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can 'check-out' whenever they wish....
with a dining room on the ground floor.
A significant addition was added in 1963 fronting Horatio Street adding four apartments per floor. The building was sold by Bing & Bing in 1985 and became cooperative apartments in 1987.
It houses 242 cooperative apartments and one commercial space.
Bing & BingBing & BingBing & Bing was one of the most important apartment real estate developers in New York City in the early 20th century.The firm was founded by Leo S. Bing and his brother, Alexander M. Bing...
developers
The firm was founded by brothers Leo S. Bing and Alexander BingAlexander Bing
Alexander M. Bing was an American real estate developer, businessman, author, artist, art patron and philanthropist in New York City....
.
“The Bing & Bing
Bing & Bing
Bing & Bing was one of the most important apartment real estate developers in New York City in the early 20th century.The firm was founded by Leo S. Bing and his brother, Alexander M. Bing...
buildings are regarded as among the city's finest prewar properties,” according to a 1986 article in the New York Times which continues, “founded in 1906, [Bing & Bing] built hotels and apartments at a time when luxurious in New York was still synonymous with spacious.”
Although they had built many residences at finer addresses on the Upper West and Upper East sides, this was their first major venture this far downtown.
1931 promotional material for 2 Horatio Street declared, “In every case the living room is large and beautifully proportioned and has a wood-burning fireplace. The wide expanse of unbroken wall space permits the expression of your individuality in furnishing.” Special features cited were “oversize rooms, immense closets, dining foyers, dressing rooms, ornamental railings and RCA radio outlets…”
One of five buildings
Bing & Bing built five buildings in this area of Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
at the same time.
In addition to 2 Horatio Street they built 299 West 12th Street
299 West 12th Street
299 West 12th Street is a landmarked residential building facing south onto Abingdon Square Park in the Greenwich Village Historic District on the west side of lower Manhattan in New York City....
and 59 West 12th Street
59 West 12th Street
59 West 12th Street is a landmarked residential building located in the Greenwich Village Historic District in lower Manhattan in New York City....
-- both with architect Emery Roth
Emery Roth
Emery Roth was an American architect who designed many of the definitive New York City hotels and apartment buildings of the 1920s and 30s, incorporating Beaux-Arts and Art Deco details...
.
They built 302 West 12th Street
302 West 12th Street
302 West 12th Street is a landmarked residential building facing west onto Abingdon Square Park in the Greenwich Village Historic District[1] on the west side of lower Manhattan in New York City....
and 45 Christopher Street
45 Christopher Street
45 Christopher Street is a landmarked residential building facing south onto Christopher Park in the Greenwich Village Historic District[1] on the west side of lower Manhattan in New York City....
-- both with the architectural firm of Boak and Paris.
Leo Bing, announced on April 1, 1929 that his firm had quietly acquired 75 small lots and old buildings largely around Abingdon Square, Sheridan Square and Jackson Square Park
Jackson Square Park
Jackson Square Park is a .227 acre New York City Park located in the Greenwich Village Historic District just below the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 14th Street...
. And the lots would be combined to allow for a set of larger-scale, 17-story apartment buildings.
"To rival Central Park West...fashionable east side"
He said his goal was to "recreate the entire district as a modern counterpart of the high-class residential section it once was" saying it would "rival Central Park West and the fashionable east side within a few years." He cited the goal of neighborhood reinvention as the reason for the simultaneous building, saying his hope was that "complete transformation of the section may be achieved as quickly as possible.”Also, in more practical terms, he mentioned the "imminent" IND Eighth Avenue Line
IND Eighth Avenue Line
The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...
, and recent completion of the West Side Elevated Highway
West Side Elevated Highway
The West Side Elevated Highway was an elevated section of Route NY-9A running along the Hudson River in the New York City borough of Manhattan to the tip of the island.It was an elevated highway, one of the first urban freeways in the world, and served as a...
and even the Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...
as increasing accessibility to—and demand for—the area.
Success in spite of the Great Depression
Seven months after the announcement that the land had been bought and clearing and construction would commence, the beginnings of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
would start with a jolt in New York City with the Wall Street Crash of 1929
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
on October 29. But Bing & Bing persevered.
By September 1931 as the building openings approached, a New York Times article expressed the concerns at the time under a headline that said,"Tall apartments in Village centre. Opening This Fall. Presents rental problem. Situation Unprecedented." Referring also to four additional buildings of about the same height in addition to the Bing & Bing five that were about to open.
Quoted in the same article, Bing & Bing reported that the "five new buildings on Christopher, Horatio and West Twelfth Streets are proving among the most popular of all the Bing & Bing apartment properties. Callers have been numerous…and a high percentage of the space has been leased.”
Architect Robert T. LyonsRobert T. Lyons- Architect Robert T. Lyons :Robert Timothy Lyons was born in New York on February 23, 1873.Emporis, the global real estate data and photo publishing firm, identifies 29 of Mr. Lyons' buildings in New York City in some detail -- built largely between 1891 and 1931 . They are virtually all hotels...
Robert Timothy Lyons was born in New York on February 23, 1873.Emporis, the global real estate data and photo publishing firm, identifies a partial list of Mr. Lyons work that includes 29 buildings in New York City built largely between 1891 and 1931. Most are hotels or residential buildings but a few are commercial. Many are on Park Avenue, but other areas include the Upper West Side and mid-town.
One of the most prominent projects in which Mr. Lyons partnered with the Bing brothers was the Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel is a luxury hotel located at 2 Lexington Avenue, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, adjacent to Gramercy Park. It is known for its rich history.-History:Gramercy Park Hotel was designed by Robert T...
which was completed in 1925. It is located at the commencement of Lexington Avenue on Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
and was built on the site of architect Stanford White’s home.
Mr. Lyons and the Bing brothers also worked together on what at the time was “the tallest apartment building in the world” at 903 Park Avenue at 79th Street—breaking the record of 12 stories with 17 stories when it opened in 1916.
Architect Robert T. Lyons
Robert T. Lyons
- Architect Robert T. Lyons :Robert Timothy Lyons was born in New York on February 23, 1873.Emporis, the global real estate data and photo publishing firm, identifies 29 of Mr. Lyons' buildings in New York City in some detail -- built largely between 1891 and 1931 . They are virtually all hotels...
' earlier notable work, done without the Bing brothers' involvement, include the “St. Urban” on Central Park West at 89th Street which opened in 1906.