292 Lafayette Street

 apartment building  Add category

7-story residential building originally erected as a 5-story commercial building in 1884 to a design by architects H.J. Schwartzmann & Co. for Leo Schlesinger. As a result of changes to the city streets in this area, Schlesinger, who still owned the building, engaged the architectural firm Buchman & Deisler to oversee the alterations and to design a new, Renaissance Revival style facade on Lafayette Street.

The 4-bay Crosby Street facade features Queen Anne style detailing such as variegated use of brick, terra-cotta, and brownstone, as well as segmental brick arches, patterned brick spandrels, and a corbelled parapet, while the Lafayette Street facade displays Renaissance Revival style ornament. A black metal fire escape cover the center bays of the south facade on Jersey Street. Round water towers are visible at the southwest and northeast corners of the roof. The north facade is clad in grey brick, with one bay of windows at the east end; the rest of this facade is covered by a large advertisement.

Over the years, the building was occupied by a variety of business, including the toy manufacturing business of its original owner, Leo Schlesinger. In the 1880s, a portion of the building was occupied by the Hebrew Technical Institute. The building was converted to a residential cooperative in 1983.