254–260 Canal Street, also known as the Bruce Building, is a building on the corner of Lafayette Street in the

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. It was constructed in 1856–57 and designed in the

Italian Renaissance revival style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

. The cast-iron elements of the facade may have been provided by James Bogardus, a pioneer in the use of cast iron in architecture. The building was constructed for

George Bruce George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, a prosperous printer and inventor of new technologies in the printing industry, which was then one of New York's leading industries. It was converted to offices in 1987 by architect Jack L. Gordon. The use of cast-iron columns in the large, five-story tall building allowed for the installation of large windows that improved manufacturing conditions and efficiency. The lot had become available because a lumber mill standing on the site had recently been destroyed by fire, making fire-retardant cast-iron construction attractive. The mildly Italianate style of the building, makes it a particularly handsome example of nineteenth century industrial architecture.Margot Gayle, Cast Iron Architecture in America, Dover Books, 1974, p. 166 It has been called "Beautiful!" and "an important early example of cast-iron architecture in New York City". If the cast iron did in fact come from Bogardus' iron works, the building would be "the largest and most important of his extant works." The building was designated a

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

in 1985, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

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*
photo of 254 Canal Street
(A Journey through Chinatown). {{DEFAULTSORT:254-260 Canal Street 1857 establishments in New York (state) Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Cast-iron architecture in New York City Chinatown, Manhattan Commercial buildings completed in 1857 James Bogardus buildings New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Renaissance Revival architecture in New York City

See also

References

External links