The Brooks Van Horn Condominium

 condominium  Add category

6-story Renaissance-revival residential building originally completed in 1900 as a factory and store fronting 18th Street. Designed by owner Edward Jansen, it was leased to Grannis Press, Inc., with Reed's Restaurant on the ground floor. The following year the eatery became Hunter's Restaurant, although little changed other than the name. Grannis Press, Inc. remained in the building until 1905, afterward replaced by several apparel firms.

In 1910, Edward Jansen filed plans for a 6-story building at 113 to 119 West 17th Street, directly behind his West 18th Street structure. This time he hired the architectural firm of Rouse & Goldstone to design the building. The resultant structure, completed in 1911, was designed as a similar, simplified version of 112-116 West 18th Street. Combined internally, the floorspace was now doubled. The 15,000-square-foor ground floor space was leased to the United States Post Office before construction began. In the meantime, the upper floors continued to house garment manufacturers. The combined buildings were sold in 1942 to real estate operator Nathan Wilson, who resold it two years later to Morris Luskin & Son. In 1962, the Brooks Costume Company merged with the Philadelphia firm of Van Horn Costume Company, and by 1972 had moved here. In 1982 a renovation resulted in a total of 35 condominiums above the ground floor store.

Both facades are clad in buff-colored brick above cast-iron ground floors, with similar design. The 17th Street elevation has a modern black-painted metal-and-glass storefront, framed at the ends by the original entrances in brown cast-iron, and topped by a brown cast-iron lintel. Each entrance has narrow decorated pilasters with console brackets supporting a rounded pediment. Framing the pilasters are wider ornamented piers with rope moldings at the tops, framing a transom that is also surrounded by a rope molding. At the western entrance, the transom's glass has been replaced by an iron panel. Brick piers divide the upper floors into three bays of three windows each, with joined stone sills and paneled brick spandrels. At the top floor, the bays culminate in broad, shallow segmental-arches with keystones. Decoration at the tops of the piers include diamond shapes and circles above arrowheads. A projecting metal roof cornice modillions, dentils and a carved frieze crowns the facade.

The 18th Street elevation also has a modern storefront in the center of the ground floor. The entrances are much plainer, with a modern doorway at the west and a service entrance at the east. Thick iron piers, banded and fluted, with stylized capitals bracket the ground floor and support the brown iron lintel above. The upper floors are divided into a central bay of four windows, and double-window end bays. The 2nd floor has stone bases and rough stone banding on the brick piers, with a broad stone cornice ornamented by stone garlands at the piers. The windows are taller than those on the upper floors, but all the windows are divided by brown iron columns, fluted at the top half. Each bay at the upper floors has stone sills and lintel courses. Like the opposite facade, the bays culminate in segmental-arches at the 6th floor, although these lack the keystones and ornament on the piers. The roof cornice is also different: it is brown metal with triple brackets above each pier, and circles in the fascia board between the brackets.

The building now contains 35 condominium units. The ground floor is occupied by West Elm furniture and home accessories.

daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-brooks-van-h...