The O'Neill Building is a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

ed former

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

, located at 655-671

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...

between West 20th and 21st Streets in the

Flatiron District The Flatiron District is a neighborhood in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan of New York City, named after the Flatiron Building at 23rd Street (Manhattan), 23rd Street, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Generally ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The building was originally Hugh O'Neill's Dry Goods Store, and was designed by Mortimer C. Merritt in the neo-Grec style.Pearson, Marjorie (ed.) et al
''Ladies' Mile Historic District Designation Report vol. 1''
New York Landmarks Preservation Commission (May 2, 1989), pp.367-70 It was built to four stories in two stages between 1887 and 1890, to allow the existing O'Neill store to continue operating during construction, with the addition of a fifth floor in 1895, created by raising the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The gilded corner domes of this cast-iron-fronted building were restored c.2000. On the death of Hugh O'Neill in 1902, his heirs were unable to continue running the business, which was sold and merged in 1907 with the Adams Dry Goods Store immediately to the north at 675 Sixth Avenue. The combined business did not succeed and, like all the department stores in the Ladies' Mile, was gone by the advent of World War I. The building was converted to manufacturing lofts, and then back into offices around 1969. As of 2014, the building is owned by

ElAd Properties The El-Ad Group is an Israel-based United States, American real estate development company. The group controls many subsidiaries including El-Ad Properties, which is based in New York City, El-Ad National, which is based in Boca Raton, and El-Ad C ...

, and was converted into condominiums in 2005. On Christmas Day 2012 the building suffered a partial collapse of its facade and was evacuated. The O'Neill Building is part of the

Ladies' Mile Historic District The Ladies' Mile Historic District was a prime shopping district in Manhattan, New York City, at the end of the 19th century, serving the well-to-do " carriage trade" of the city. It was designated in May 1989, by the New York City Landmark Pres ...

, which was created by the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...

in 1989. In its designation report, the Commission wrote "Because of its architecture and history, the Hugh O'Neill Building is one of the department store buildings which give the Ladies Mile Historic District its special character."

References

Notes

External links

The O'Neill Building web siteO'Neill Building
from CityRealty.com Commercial buildings in Manhattan Cast-iron architecture in New York City New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Flatiron District {{Manhattan-struct-stub