The Prague | apartment building

USA / New Jersey / West New York / West 87th Street, 72
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5-story Romanesque-revival residential building completed in 1889. Designed by John G. Prague, is has a twin to the south filling the other half of the blockfront (named The Eliott), connected by a small 1-story storefront extension. Both are clad in variegated orange brick above ground floors lined with stone, tile, metal, and glass storefronts along the avenue.

The residential entrance is at the east side of the north facade on 87th Street, with a small brownstone stoop leading up to paneled wooden double-doors set in a round-arched brownstone surround. An initricate molding edges the doorway, the blocky letters carved above spell out "THE PRAGUE". Flanking the top of the arch are engaged colonnettes, extending up to frame a panel carved with Romanesque ornament. To the right, the north end of the northernmost storefront is clad in red and orange tiles, with a corrugated black metal lintel across the top. This matches all the storefronts along the west facade as well, including the small 1-story connecting section.

The upper floors on the long west facade have two single-windows in the center bay, flanked by three more single-windows (the inner ones very narrow), and end bays of single-windows. Projecting piers separate each section, with rough-faced stone banding between floors. Most of the windows also have rough-faced stone lintels. At the end bays there are brown terra-cotta spandrel panels carved with shields and foliate ornament. At the roof line there are ribbed panels above each window, and the piers extend up past the main roof line. A brown metal fire escape runs down the center bay.

The upper floors on the north facade have two single-windows on the left, and a double-window at the east end, with terra-cotta spandrels at each bay. A brown metal fire escape runs down the eastern two bays. There is also a fire escape on the south facade facing the other building. The ground floor is occupied by Sole Shoe Repair, Akai Wellness Center acupuncture clinic, The Sunshinery gift shop, and PlantShed Cafe.
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Coordinates:   40°47'12"N   73°58'17"W
This article was last modified 2 years ago