Monday, February 14, 2011

The Coignet Stone Company Building On Whole Foods Site Finally Getting Some Love

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It would appear that the small land-marked building on the Whole Foods site at 360 Third Avenue at the corner of Third Street is finally getting some much needed love. A permit for roof repair has been issued by the NYC Buildings Department and late last week, workers were observed at the site. That is encouraging news. Lets hope that it is just the beginning towards restoring and saving this neighborhood gem.

For quite a few years now, the historic structure has been deteriorating, its beautiful ornate façade slowly crumbling away. Its owner, Richard Kowalski, of Beach Haven, N.J, had signed a Memorandum of Lease with Whole Foods back in 2005, when the company purchased the land surrounding the building in order to construct one of their food markets. Under the lease agreement, Whole Foods was to restore and repair the old house. The work, however, has been postponed till now.

The 1873 building was designed by William Fields & Son and housed the New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company, which occupied five acres along the Gowanus Canal. In more recent history, it was home to the Pippin Radiator Company.

The Coignet Stone Company building was landmarked in 2006 by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. You can read more about its history here.



Historic photo of the Coignet Stone Company Building


*Thanks to readers Joe and Marion for making me aware of this.


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4 comments:

connie said...

What a gorgeous building!

Katia said...

Isn't it? As dilapidated as it is, its still beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the info on this. I have been photogtaphing it for years and also know the history of it. Thanks so much. Great historical photo too.

Tom McPartlon said...

Hi,
Does anybody know if Whole foods owns the lot that is adjacent to theirs that has not been bulldozed? I'm researching it and can't seem to find any information.