Editing Puck Building (section)

== Site ==
The Puck Building is at 295–309 [[Lafayette Street]],<ref name="aia4" /> in the [[Nolita]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Warshawer |first=Gabby |date=April 19, 2014 |title=Property – Open House: Nolita Increasingly Becomes a Name of Its Own |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304311204579507852450638532.html |access-date=October 4, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=A.18 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|1517529780}} |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004193746/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304311204579507852450638532 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[SoHo, Manhattan|SoHo]] neighborhoods of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]], New York, U.S.<ref name="aia4" /><ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|page=1}}</ref> It occupies an entire [[city block]] between Lafayette Street to the west, [[Houston Street]] to the north, [[Mulberry Street (Manhattan)|Mulberry Street]] to the east, and Jersey Street to the south.<ref name="NYCL p. 6">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|page=6}}</ref> The [[land lot]] is quadrilateral and measures around {{convert|23,397|ft2|0}}.<ref name="ZoLa">{{Cite web |title=295 Lafayette Street, 10012 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/510/7502 |access-date=March 20, 2020 |publisher=[[New York City Department of City Planning]] |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004193747/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/510/7502#17.6/40.724527/-73.994471 |url-status=live }}</ref> Across the street to the southeast are [[St. Patrick's Old Cathedral]] and [[St. Patrick's Old Cathedral School]].<ref name="aia4" /><ref name="ZoLa" /> In addition, an entrance to the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[Broadway–Lafayette Street/Bleecker Street station]] is directly outside the building to the north.<ref>{{cite web |date=2018 |title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: Bleecker St (6) |url=https://new.mta.info/document/2451 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829193923/https://new.mta.info/document/2451 |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |access-date=December 25, 2020 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]}}</ref> There are glass-and-iron [[vaulted sidewalk]]s around the building;<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> the vaulted sidewalks on Mulberry Street have all been replaced, but those on Houston and Lafayette streets are largely intact.<ref name="NYCL p. 8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|page=8}}</ref>

Prior to the construction of the Puck Building, the site had been occupied by St. Catherine's Convent, which was built by the Order of the Sisters of Mercy in 1848. The convent was located at 35 East Houston Street, and the adjacent House of Mercy was at 33 East Houston Street.<ref name="The New York Times 1885">{{cite web |date=February 16, 1885 |title=The Institution of Mercy Sold. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1885/02/16/archives/the-institution-of-mercy-sold.html |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004193747/https://www.nytimes.com/1885/02/16/archives/the-institution-of-mercy-sold.html |url-status=live }}</ref> When the building was erected in the 1880s, it was at the southern end of Manhattan's printing district,<ref name="NYCL p. 4; NPS p. 6" /><ref name="Puck p. 23" /> which was centered around the [[Astor Library Building]]. Furthermore, there were numerous publishers, printing firms, and publications headquartered in the neighborhood.<ref name="NYCL p. 4">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|page=4}}</ref> These firms had settled in the neighborhood in part because of their proximity to the [[New York and New Haven Railroad]]'s freight terminal, which was several blocks south on [[Canal Street (Manhattan)|Canal Street]] between [[Centre Street (Manhattan)|Centre]] and Lafayette streets.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2362.pdf |title=Soho-Cast Iron Historic District Extension |last=Presa |first=Donald G. |date=May 11, 2010 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |page=12 |access-date=September 27, 2024 |archive-date=May 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512073452/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2362.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

At the time of the building's construction, Lafayette Street did not exist at the intersection with Houston Street.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 17, 1887 |title=Elm-street New and Old; a Whole City Favors the Proposed Improvement. Detailed Description of the Changes and Cost Entailed by a Plan Which Meets Urgent Needs. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1887/04/17/archives/elmstreet-new-and-old-a-whole-city-favors-the-proposed-improvement.html |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> What is now known as Lafayette Street was two separate streets: Lafayette Place to the north and Elm Street to the south.<ref name="Gray 2010">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=June 17, 2010 |title=Along Lafayette Street, Some Very Odd Lots |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/realestate/20scapes.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209061457/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/realestate/20scapes.html |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |access-date=February 2, 2021 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Presa |first=Donald G. |date=June 29, 1999 |title=NoHo Historic District |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2039.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208152032/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2039.pdf |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |access-date=February 2, 2021 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |pages=17–18}}</ref> These two streets were connected between 1897<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hanly |first=Thomas B. |date=November 7, 1897 |title=Elm Street Past and Present |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/11/07/102545563.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504020500/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/11/07/102545563.pdf |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=February 2, 2021 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=32 |language=en-US }}</ref> and 1905.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 26, 1905 |title=Elm Street Off the Map |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/04/26/101412542.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504020500/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/04/26/101412542.pdf |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=February 2, 2021 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=1 |language=en-US }}</ref> Because of the construction of Lafayette Street, part of the original building has been demolished.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="The World 1897">{{Cite news |date=September 30, 1897 |title=Bracing Up the Puck Building |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-world-bracing-up-the-puck-building/156316586/ |access-date=September 30, 2024 |work=The World |pages=5 |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003163549/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-world-bracing-up-the-puck-building/156316586/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Before the original building was truncated, it carried an address of 31–39 East Houston Street.<ref name="The World 1897" />