The O'Neill Condominium (New York City, New York)

 condominiums, 1887_construction

5-story (plus 2-story corner towers) Neo-Grec cast-iron residential building completed in 1887 with four floors. Designed by Mortimer C. Merritt as the Hugh O’Neill Dry Goods Store, its 5th floor was added in 1895 by repeating the design of the 4th floor and raising the pediment. This large pediment, inscribed with "Hugh O'Neill," and rounded corner bays give the building special prominence on this avenue of many large, ornate buildings. The corner bays are rounded and topped with gold domes.

Hugh O'Neill, the original owner of the Hugh O'Neill Building, began building up his business in the 1860s. He and his brother Henry began acquiring property on Sixth Avenue in 1870 and by 1880, owned the full frontage of nine lots on Sixth Avenue. In 1887, O'Neill's white-painted cast-iron building was erected in just 6 months. In 1890, an extension was added to the rear on 20th Street. Finally, in 1895, the domes and pediment were temporarily removed and replaced onto a fifth story which was added to the whole building.

In 1907 the company merged with Adams Dry Goods just to the north on Sixth Avenue. But despite the efforts to maintain the business, the O'Neill-Adams Company disappeared with all the other Sixth Avenue department stores by the First World War. The building was converted to lofts initially for manufacturing United States Army uniforms. Around 1990, it was used as offices, until 2007, when it was restored and converted to luxury condominiums. The ground floor is occupied by North Shore Medical Group Urgent Care Center (in the extension of 20th Street), a TD Bank branch, Pret A Manger restaurant, Optyx opticians, Hale & Hearty cafe, Crumbs bake shop, and The Vitamin Shoppe.

The Sixth Avenue facade is composed of a central pavilion with flanking wings, and rounded corner bays. An arcade in the 2nd and 3rd floors of the pavilion creates an a-a-B-a-a rhythm of narrow and wide window openings. On the 4th and 5th floors are six identical arched double-windows. The 1st floor, a recent alteration, is an attempt to recreate the effect of 19th-century show windows. This alteration has returned the building's main entrance from an off-center location to one directly under the center bay of the pavilion. The new show window units are one bay wide with a transom above.

Flanking the central pavilion are wings of two bays, each with three windows per bay at the 2nd and 3rd floors and four windows at the 4th and 5th floors. Two low arched arcades in each wing unite the 2nd and 3rd floors; fixing an undulating rhythm across the whole facade at A-A-a-a-B-a-a-A-A. Attached fluted columns separate the bays at the 2nd and 3rd stories, fluted pilasters separate the bays at the 4th and 5th floors. At the transition between the pavilion and the adjacent wings the columns and pilasters are multi-shafted. The columns are not continuous between the floors but stop and start at the cornices at each floor level. An understated bracketed cornice caps the wings. Over the pavilion low squat columns support the freestanding inscribed pediment.

The cast-iron facade from Sixth Avenue wraps around to 20th Street, repeating one full bay of the design established on the wings. West of the cast-iron bay the brick facade has windows with bracketed sills and incised block pediments repeated across each floor above the ground floor. At the roof line the pressed metal cornice has brackets and dentils. One original door remains at 121 West 20th Street and is distinguished by a pedimented portico.

The Sixth Avenue cast-iron facade wraps around to 21st Street, repeating one 4-bay section of the design established on the wings. Just west of this 75-foot long section is the Third Shearith Israel Cemetery around which the building was constructed in a roughly "C"-shaped configuration. The three brick elevations which flank the cemetery have no applied decoration. The wall surfaces are punctuated by rectangular window openings at regular intervals at each floor. Visible on 21st Street from the Shearith Israel Cemetery is the rear wall of the Hugh O'Neill building's 1890 extension along 20th Street. Identical in appearance to the elevations facing the cemetery, there is no applied architectural details.

streeteasy.com/building/the-oneill-building