254-260 Canal Street
- Architect
- James Bogardus
- Style
- Renaissance Revival
- City
- Manhattan, NY
254-260 Canal Street, also known as the Bruce Building, rises on the corner of Lafayette Street in Chinatown. Built in 1856-57 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style for printer and inventor George Bruce, its cast-iron facade elements may have come from James Bogardus, a pioneer of cast-iron construction.
the building
Cast-iron facade. The five-story building's cast-iron columns allowed for unusually large windows, improving light and manufacturing conditions inside. Fire-retardant cast iron was an attractive choice after a lumber mill previously on the site had burned down.
the style
The mildly Italianate detailing, drawn from Italian Renaissance Revival sources, is considered a particularly handsome example of nineteenth-century industrial architecture.
More on Renaissance Revivalthe architect
James Bogardus is credited with the cast-iron elements of the facade, part of his broader pioneering work bringing cast iron into American architecture.
significance
254-260 Canal Street is an NYC Individual Landmark (LP-01458) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated March 12, 1985. The building was converted to offices in 1987 by architect Jack L. Gordon.
nearby
- Fire Engine Company No. 31
- The Tombs
- Odd Fellows Hall
- Stephen Van Rensselaer House
- 361 Broadway Building
- 359 Broadway Building