5 West 20th Street

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5-story Italianate office building completed in 1852 as a 4-story rowhouse by the builder Gustavus A. Conover. Conover moved to 30th Street in 1861, and the house became the home of Benjamin Lincoln Swan, Jr., and his family. In 1892, his son, Benjamin Lincoln Swan, Jr., died here. In 1904 the Swan residence was purchased by H. Olin and C. W. Hand, who commissioned architects Pickering & Walker to convert the mansion to commercial use with the addition of a projecting wood and iron storefront at the 1st and 2nd floors. The architects removed the brownstone stoop and replaced the basement and parlor floors with a two-story wood-and-cast iron store front that projected to the property line. The upper floors were gutted for loft space.

Throughout the 20th century Benjamin Swan’s former home served a wide variety of businesses. In 1993 floors 2 through 4 were renovated into residential lofts; but in 2011 the building was reconverted to offices by architects Feingold & Gregory. The facade above the storefront, now painted light-grey, has three bays of windows with round-arched surrounds containing carved scallop shells at the 4th floor and festoons at the 3rd floor. The top-floor windows are much shorter, sitting below a black bracketed roof cornice. The 2nd-story storefront has a simple black cornice and slender mullions, while the ground floor has modern glass-and-metal infill. A 3-story brick extension to the eastern and central bays, as well as a fire escape, have been added to the rear wall. The ground floor is occupied by Jewett Farms + Co. Cabinetmakers.