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Tribeca's Historic Architecture
Explore a curated list of architecturally fascinating buildings in and around Tribeca, focusing on historical and commercial structures. Discover unique residential gems that stand out amidst the rich architectural heritage of the area.
- Neo-Renaissance coffee warehouse (1905) transformed into Robert De Niro’s creative hub, housing offices, studios and a screening room while preserving mosaic facades and vaulted brick interiors.
Tribeca Film Center (375 Greenwich Street)
Built 1905 for B. Fischer & Co. • Adaptive reuse 1989 • Eight stories, still a cultural anchor on Greenwich & Franklin.
- Marble-fronted Italianate cast-iron store-and-loft pair (1856-57) by Samuel A. Warner; currently undergoing sensitive condo conversion with an ‘invisible’ setback penthouse.
66-68 Reade Street Lofts
Five floors within Tribeca South Historic District • Landmarks-approved restoration and 6th-floor addition (2012).
- William N. Breger’s sculptural modernist “flame” (1967) is an Orthodox sanctuary famed for its curved acoustical walls – a rare post-war religious landmark in Tribeca.
TriBeCa Synagogue (49 White Street)
Completed 1967 • Modernist concrete & glass • Landmarked for architecture and cultural significance.
- James White Building’s restored cast-iron skin now fronts Shigeru Ban’s striking 2021 condo insertion, marrying 1882 Italianate ornament with cutting-edge engineering.
Cast Iron House (361 Broadway)
Built 1881-82 by W. Wheeler Smith • NYC Landmark 1982 & NRHP 1983 • Seven stories after Ban’s renovation with Vierendeel-truss rooftop duplexes.
- Surviving “Thomas Twin” cast-iron office block (1870) showcases D. & J. Jardine’s Italianate façade of Corinthian columns and ornate cornices at Broadway & Thomas.
319 Broadway (Metropolitan Life Home Office)
Five stories • Cast-iron supplied by Daniel D. Badger • NYC Landmark 1989.
- Carrère & Hastings’ Renaissance-Revival warehouse for Baker’s Chocolate (1892) dazzles with buff brick and ornate terra-cotta; later expanded and now famous as Nobu’s home.
Powell Building – 105 Hudson Street
Architects Carrère & Hastings; addn. Henri Fouchaux • Erected 1892, expanded 1905 • Seven stories; mixed residential/office co-op; restored 2000.
- Once home to coconut-king Leopold Schepp’s importing empire, this eclectic 10-story loft mixes Ruskinian Gothic, Queen Anne and Romanesque flourishes and originally sported a dramatic mansard tower over Duane Park.
Schepp / Duane Park Building (165 Duane Street)
Architect Stephen D. Hatch • Completed 1882 • Industrial loft turned live-work co-op • Still dominates the Hudson & Duane streetscape.
- Red-brick Queen Anne/Romanesque landmark that housed the New York Mercantile Exchange from 1886 to 1977; its off-set tower and terra-cotta capitals still anchor the Harrison & Hudson corner.
New York Mercantile Exchange Building (2–6 Harrison Street)
Architect Thomas R. Jackson • Completed 1885-86 • Commercial exchange hall now converted to condos • Part of Tribeca West Historic District.
- Ely Jacques Kahn’s massive Modern-Classical loft block (1929-30) wraps an entire block; its sleek limestone piers and recessed windows presaged the International Style.
Holland Plaza Building
Address: 75 Varick St. • Year: 1929-30 • Architect: Ely Jacques Kahn • Landmark: NYC Individual Landmark (2013)
- The only surviving James Bogardus cast-iron façade (1861) in New York, this Italianate loft is a rare physical testament to the pioneer of prefabricated iron architecture.
Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox Store
Address: 85 Leonard St. • Year: 1861 • Engineer: James Bogardus • Landmark: NYC Individual Landmark (1974)
- Herzog & de Meuron’s 60-story ‘houses-stacked-in-the-sky’ (2017) is Tribeca’s most recognizable contemporary residence, cantilevering glass boxes to create a kinetic modern landmark.
56 Leonard Street (“Jenga Tower”)
Address: 56 Leonard St. • Year: 2017 • Architect: Herzog & de Meuron with Hill West • Landmark: Not landmarked; acclaimed icon of 21st-century architecture
- This palatial Renaissance Revival insurance headquarters (1894-98) by Stephen D. Hatch, completed by McKim, Mead & White, is crowned by a four-sided clock tower that defines the Tribeca skyline.
Clock Tower / 346 Broadway (108 Leonard)
Address: 346 Broadway / 108 Leonard St. • Year: 1894-98 • Architect: Stephen D. Hatch; interiors by McKim, Mead & White • Landmark: NYC Individual Landmark (1987, clock & exterior)
- Alexander H. Stevens’s Beaux-Arts firehouse (1903) gained pop-culture fame as the Ghostbusters HQ; its red-brick façade remains an emblem of early 20th-century civic architecture.
Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8
Address: 14 North Moore St. • Year: 1903 • Architect: Alexander H. Stevens • Landmark: Contributing building, Tribeca West Historic District
- Built as the Wool Exchange (1896) and later home to the American Thread Company, this 11-story Renaissance Revival loft typifies Tribeca’s industrial prosperity.
American Thread Building
Address: 260 West Broadway • Year: 1896 • Architect: William B. Tubby • Landmark: NRHP (2005); contributor to Tribeca North HD
- Henry J. Hardenbergh’s Renaissance-inspired loft (1901) features lavish terra-cotta ornament and a dramatic copper cornice; it now anchors Tribeca as a landmarked condominium.
Textile Building
Address: 66 Leonard St./239-245 Church St. • Year: 1901 • Architect: Henry J. Hardenbergh • Landmark: Contributing building, Tribeca East Historic District (1992)
- One of New York’s earliest surviving cast-iron stores, the Italianate five-story Cary Building (1856-57) shows King & Kellum’s elegant replication of stone detailing in prefabricated iron.
Cary Building
Address: 105-107 Chambers St. • Year: 1856-57 • Architect: King & Kellum • Landmark: NYC Individual Landmark (1982)
- Another Walker masterwork, this 27-story Art Deco giant (1929-32) pioneered long-distance telephony; its façades and mosaic-filled lobby are richly detailed yet industrially functional.
AT&T Long Distance Building (32 Avenue of the Americas)
Address: 32 Avenue of the Americas • Year: 1929-32 • Architect: Ralph Walker, Voorhees Gmelin & Walker • Landmark: NYC Individual Landmark – exterior & lobby (1991)
- Ralph Walker’s monumental Art Deco telecommunications tower (1928–30) blends bold setbacks, intricate brickwork and sculptural ornament, making it one of the era’s most celebrated commercial skyscrapers.
Western Union Building (60 Hudson Street)
Address: 60 Hudson St. • Year: 1928-30 • Architect: Ralph Walker, Voorhees Gmelin & Walker • Landmark: NYC Individual Landmark (1991), contributor to Tribeca West HD
