Building: 251 Water Street

Designed by architect Carl F. Eisenbach and erected in 1883, this charming former tenement building was designed and constructed for mixed use with eight family dwellings located on the upper floors and a designated commercial space on the ground floor. A richly ornamented Romanesque Revival style distinguishes the façade at the ground floor. On the Peck Slip side of the building, three large horseshoe arches are connected to one another by a wide band course decorated with a rinceau, which extends around the corner to the Water Street side and connects to the large arched opening at the impost block. Formed by specially molded bricks, the large Romanesque arches are a remarkably attractive feature of this building. On the Water Street side, the doorway to the apartments above is crowned by a terra-cotta lintel set on foliate impost blocks. A beautifully ornate arch surmounts this lintel and depicts a series of sunflowers encircling and intricate crest-like form in the tympanum. This building is divided into three tiers. A stylized foliate band demarcates the second from the third floor and a geometric-patterned band separates the fourth and fifth floor. Further enlivening the façade is the vast variety of window treatments at the different stories. The second story windows are square-headed and topped by splayed lintels with cap moldings, while the third story windows are similar to those on the fifth; segmental-arched. The most lovely, round-arched windows crowned by terra-cotta masks belong to the the fourth story of this building also known as 22 Peck Slip.

Building Description Provided by Bridget Schuy