20 Bond Street

 apartment building  Add category

 Upload a photo

7-story Romanesque/Renaissance-revival residential building completed in 1895. Designed by Cleverdon & Putzel as a store-and-loft building, the first two floors are cast-iron, with brick and decorative terra-cotta on the upper floors. The 4-bay main facade on Bond Street has a 2-story black-painted base. The ground-floor storefront has paneled columns and piers, molded frieze with square plaques and brackets. The 3rd floor has a terra-cotta sill with decorative brackets and molding and rosettes, rusticated terra-cotta piers with decorative beading between blocks, grouped windows separated by columns with simple capitals, and spandrel with scrolls and anthemion.

The 4th & 5th floors have grouped windows separated by columns with simple capitals. They are flanked by 2-story, paired twisted columns with elaborate decoration and germinated capitals. There are elaborate terra-cotta spandrels, and the lintel over 5th floor has decorated brackets, rosettes and coffers. The 6th & 7th floors are brick with narrow raised brick “quoins” that become full-width striation above the 7th floor windows. Between the two floors are terra-cotta spandrels with carved medallions and dentils. The top-floor windows are round-arched and have brick architraves springing from the capitals. Above is an iron roof cornice with an elaborated frieze and attached pendant.

The west elevation is clad in brown brick, partially painted. The windows have segmental-arched or flat lintels. Faded remnants of painted advertisements are visible. The northern elevation is also clad in brown brick, with segmental-arched windows, a full-height exterior exhaust vent, and a 1-story extension with window grilles and standing seam metal shed roof.

The building was occupied through most of the 20th century by firms in the garment, textile, thread and yarn business, as well as bookbinders, novelty companies, electrical manufacturing and supply businesses, radio dealers and laboratories. By the late 1970, artists had begun moving into lofts left vacant by businesses.