264 5th Avenue

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5-story residential building originally completed in the 1850s as a mansion. In 1878 it was converted to multi-family residential, with lavish apartments on the upper floors. Called the Knickerbocker Flats they were mostly occupied by wealthy bachelors. At street level was an upscale jewelry store, Howard & Co., which remained until 1914. Its space was taken over by the ticket office of the Southern Railway.

By mid-century the once proud neighborhood showed little evidence of its former glory. In 1946 No. 264 was home to businesses like the Costume Jewelry Supply House. The opulent interiors where Manhattan’s wealthiest citizens were once entertained had long ago been gutted. When T. Victor Searing purchased the property that same year, it was described as a “five-story store and loft building”.

Today only the wonderful circular dormers on the recessed mansard roof hint that this was once a grand residence. All the architectural elements have been stripped away and the brownstone has been painted tan. The ground floor is cement stuccoed and lined with storefronts, with a segmental-arched building entrance at the west end of the north facade. The east elevation is three bays wide, and the north has six widely-spaced bays, with a 2-bay recessed area above the ground floor, near the west end.