511 West 25th Street

 art museum / art gallery  Add category

9-story Industrial Neo-Classical gallery and office building completed in 1917. Designed by Francisco & Jacobus as a factory, it has five bays separated by concrete piers. Modern plate glass windows make up the ground-floor storefronts. The outer bays above the first floor have triple windows; the central bays have four windows. Deep concrete lintels span between flanking piers above window openings, and the spandrels are clad in beige brick. A concrete cornice above the 3rd story is supported by concrete corbels with geometric decoration at each pier. Another concrete cornice above the 7th story spans the central bays, featuring a dentil course, and is supported by concrete corbels with geometric decoration. The central piers terminate in simple concrete capitals. The outer bays feature an additional story with recessed brick panels and triangular pediments resulting from a 1927 alteration by Francisco & Jacobus that concealed new rooftop water tanks. The west and east elevations both have two bays of four rectangular windows toward the center of the facade.

In 1925, the building used in the manufacturing on tinfoil, and later bottle caps. In 1947 an opening was cut into the east wall and the building was connected to the High Line's elevated freight tracks that run alongside. Today the building is occupied by art-related business, including galleries.