43 East 20th Street (New York City, New York)

 apartment building, 1901_construction, Renaissance Revival (architecture)

8-story Renaissance-revival residential building completed in 1901. Designed by Ervin G. Gollner as a store, factory and workshop, it is faced in limestone, white brick and metal. The 2-story base has two coursed pilasters supporting an entablature which features triglyphs. On the ground floor a recent wood storefront and metal service doors are surmounted by a historic modillioned metal cornice. On the 2nd floor, two angled, pivoting windows with transoms flank a fixed central pane, also with transom. The frames of these windows, and entrance at the ground floor, are painted blue.

The 4-story white brick midsection is also defined by coursed piers with composite capitals, a segmental-arch in limestone, and modillioned cornice. On each of these stories, four windows are separated by metal fluted pilasters with composite capitals. Each spandrel has a recessed panel with inscribed designs, except above the 3rd floor, where the design is missing. The 2-story brick top is articulated with pilasters surmounted by round-arches; the window arrangement and type resemble those of the midsection. The roof parapet is missing its cornice.

The western elevation is a plain brown brick wall with rows of simple windows. A rooftop water tower is visible from the street. The building's early tenants included companies which sold furs, embroidery, oriental goods, clothing, ladies' neckware, and upholstery trimmings. It was converted to apartments sometime in the late 1900s.