145 West Broadway

 apartment building  Add category

6-story Romanesque-revival/Italianate residential building with northern portion (147) completed in 1870, and southern portion (145) completed in 1888. The earlier section was designed by John J. O'Neil as a store-and-loft building, and is clad in cast-iron designed to replicate rusticated stone, with triangular pediments and sills with corbelled feet on the windows. It is topped by a white metal bracketed roof cornice. A metal and glass penthouse addition occupies the southern portion of the roof and an iron railings set above the cornice on West Broadway.

The latter (southern) section is by William Kuhles. It is clad in brick and contrasting terra-cotta with varying shades of grey paint. There is double windows in the center of the facade, and singles on the outer bays. Those on the 3rd floors are round-arched (with two single arches with keystones in the center), and on the 4th floor there are two double arches in the center, with round columns. A metal fire escape runs down the front facade, and The facade is crowned by a narrow cornice and a parapet with gables at each end capped by terra-cotta finials. The north gable has been altered to accommodate machinery housing.

During the early 20th century, it was used for offices, storage and light manufacturing, with the two structures being joined in 1932. From the '30s through '60s, the ground floor was occupied by Towers Restaurant and Cafeteria, and was replaced by The Odeon Cafe. The upper floors are residential.