4 West 16th Street (New York City, New York)

 apartment building  Add category

125-foot, 10-story Renaissance-revival residential building completed in 1902. Designed by John W. Stevens as a store-and-loft building, its base, originally with three rusticated limestone piers, has been altered. A modern storefront replaces the central pier. The limestone second tier, the most richly ornamented, is a 3-story, 2-bay arcade with fluted pilasters, egg-and-dart moldings in the round-arches at the 4th floor, keystones, and arch spandrels embellished with foliate designs. Recessed floor spandrels are simply paneled and tripartite windows are subdivided by square colonnettes.

The tan brick third tier is a 4-story arcade with scored piers and four round-arches with keystones at the 8th floor. The arch spandrels are unembellished and the simple floor spandrels are recessed. The fourth tier is two stories, each with two groups of three windows. The lower story windows are rectangular; the upper story is a simple arcade with a molding at the impost. The cornice which once crowned this tier has been removed.

The eastern elevation, exposed at the front and top of the building is a reddish-brown brick wall laid in common bond, with five recessed bays of windows. The western elevation, exposed at the front and top of the building, is a painted, windowless brick wall in common bond.

Long occupied by various manufacturing companies, by 1934 its principal tenant was Robert M. McBride & Company, Publishers, and the building was long known as the McBride Building. Most recently it has been converted largely to residential use. The ground floor is occupied by The Blow Dry Bar.