855-857 Ninth Avenue (New York City, New York)

 apartment building, housing cooperative, 1885_construction

6-story cooperative-apartment building completed in 1885. It was built to a matching design (only slightly narrower) with the neighboring building to the north, and also the building next to that one on 56th Street. The facade is clad in dark-red-painted brick above black metal-and-glass storefronts. There are two entrances, one at the south end, and the other between the storefronts, both framed by grey-painted fluted pilasters, and covered by tall, steep-sloped red canvas awnings, rounded at the top.

The upper floors have three single-windows grouped close together at the south end, and four more bays of more loosely-spaced single-windows at the north. The windows have white stone sills and flat, eared lintels. The sills are joined by white-painted bands above the 2nd floor, and the lintels are joined at each floor. A pair of black metal fire escapes runs down the facade, which is crowned by two white metal roof cornices (the north one wider) with narrow modillions and paneled friezes with wide swags; there is a single console bracket at the south end.

The building contains 22 apartments. The ground floor is occupied by Roosevelt Shoe Repair, The Oasis Cafe, and Casa Supreme restaurant.