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Puck Building
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=== Facade === The current Puck Building is composed of the original structure to the north, which dates from 1885, and the annex to the south, which dates from 1892.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> In both sections of the building, the western [[Elevation (architecture)|elevation]] of the facade, along Lafayette Street, dates from 1898.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|page=6}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=7}}</ref> The Lafayette Street elevation is stylistically similar to the original facades of both the original building and the annex.<ref name="NPS p. 7" /> The original building is seven stories high, while the annex is nine stories high.<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|page=6}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=2}}</ref> The building's facade includes gilded statues of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s character [[Puck (Shakespeare)|Puck]], from ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'';<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goncharoff |first=Katya |date=August 12, 1984 |title=The Glitter of Gold Gains in Facade and Lobby Decor: Some Say Owners Feel Gilding May Enhance Values |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/12/realestate/the-glitter-of-gold-gains-in-facade-and-lobby-door-some-owners.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331172644/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/12/realestate/the-glitter-of-gold-gains-in-facade-and-lobby-door-some-owners.html |archive-date=March 31, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US }}</ref> the sculptor [[Henry Baerer]] created two such statues for the building.<ref name="aia4" /><ref name="Niers 2013">{{Cite magazine |last=Niers |first=Gert |date=June–July 2013 |title=Das Puck-Gebäude: Auch Eine Deutsche Spur in New York |trans-title=The Puck Building: Another German Trace in New York |magazine=German Life |pages=52–54 |language=de |volume=20 |issue=1 |id={{ProQuest|1364732388}}}}</ref> Every elevation of the facade is divided vertically into [[Bay (architecture)|bays]] of uniform width.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The original building measures three bays wide (originally five bays<ref name="NYCL p. 4" />) on Houston Street to the north, six bays wide on Mulberry Street to the east, and four bays wide on Lafayette Street to the west.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The southern annex is five bays wide on Mulberry Street and six bays wide on Lafayette Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|page=7}}</ref> The southern elevation on Jersey Street is clad in plain brick and has a small number of window openings with iron shutters.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|page=8}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=3}}</ref> The bays are separated vertically by projecting brick [[Pier (architecture)|piers]], which rise atop granite [[pedestal]]s. The rest of the facade is made of red brick, except for the [[cast iron]] window frames and statues, as well as the [[wrought iron]] entrance gates.<ref name="NYCL pp. 6–7; NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|pages=6–7}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=2}}</ref> Some terracotta and sandstone is also incorporated into the facade.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kanno-Youngs |first=Zolan |date=July 11, 2016 |title=Developers Turn to Materials of Old to Stand Out in Modern Era; Terra cotta makes a comeback in New York City |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/developers-turn-to-materials-of-old-to-stand-out-in-modern-era-1468197251 |access-date=October 4, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |page= |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|1802677260}} |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004193748/https://www.wsj.com/articles/developers-turn-to-materials-of-old-to-stand-out-in-modern-era-1468197251 |url-status=live }}</ref> All four corners of the building are [[chamfer]]ed, with small diagonal cutouts.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|page=7}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=2}}</ref> On Mulberry Street, there are two wrought-iron fire escapes, one each in the annex and the original building.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> ==== Lower stories ==== [[File:Puck Building, NYC (2014).JPG|thumb|The Lafayette Street entrance, with double-height arches on either side]] On the first two stories of the facade, there is one double-height arch in each bay.<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> The piers between each bay are wider than on the upper stories, and there is a brownstone [[Course (architecture)|course]] at the bottom of each pier, just above the granite pedestal.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> On the first story, most of the bays contain rectangular openings, which are divided vertically into groups of three.<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> Some of the first-story openings contain storefront entrances instead of windows; these entrances are accessed by small [[Stoop (architecture)|stoops]],<ref name="NYCL pp. 6–7; NPS p. 2" /> which are made of pieces of vaulted sidewalk.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> The second story is a semicircular [[lunette]] window, which is divided vertically into three panes. A cast-iron [[Transom (architecture)|transom bar]] separates the first- and second-story windows. The lunettes are surrounded by [[round arch]]es with slightly projecting edges, and there is a horizontal [[string course]] made of [[brownstone]] above the second story.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The Puck Building's main entrance is on Lafayette Street, within the fifth-northernmost bay.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> This entrance is shaped like a [[triumphal arch]].<ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=2}}</ref> At the ground story of the archway are two rectangular doorways, which are separated by a cast-iron column and flanked by smaller cast-iron piers. In front of each doorway is an ornate [[Art Nouveau]] wrought-iron arch with a set of wrought-iron gates. A transom bar runs above the doorways, and a statue of Puck stands atop the center of the transom bar. Above the transom bar is a lunette window.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> On either side of the entrance is a granite pedestal, above which are two stone columns and two pilasters, all in the [[Doric order]].<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> The columns and pilasters are all topped by capitals with wreath motifs.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> Above the columns is an [[architrave]] bearing the words "Puck Building" in all-capital letters, with a [[console bracket]] below the center and a [[balustrade]] above it.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> When the building was completed, ''Puck'' magazine described the structure as having round arches along both Houston and Mulberry streets, with a recessed wrought-iron entrance at the corner of these streets.<ref>{{harvnb|Puck|1887|ps=.|page=28}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 6">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|page=6}}</ref> The entrance at the northeast corner of the building, at Houston and Mulberry streets, included a pair of doorways until 1899.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> This entrance has been replaced with a double-height brick column with a brownstone sphere.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> Above it is one of the Puck statues.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> which holds a mirror, pen, and book.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> The statue also included the inscription "What fools these mortals be",<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1922 |title=Aged Man Suicides While Puck Laughs |work=The Atlanta Constitution |page=22 |id={{ProQuest|498316818}}}}</ref> the phrase printed on ''Puck'' magazine covers;<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> this inscription had been worn away by the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Berger |first=Meyer |date=January 29, 1958 |title=About New York; Blimp to Press Hunt for Old Savannah Off Bellport – Piece Sought for Namesake Ship |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/29/archives/about-new-york-blimp-to-press-hunt-for-old-savannah-off-bellport.html |access-date=October 1, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003163543/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/29/archives/about-new-york-blimp-to-press-hunt-for-old-savannah-off-bellport.html |url-status=live}}</ref> When the building's entrance was located at this corner, the column stood in front of the entrance.<ref name="King 1892">{{cite book |last=King |first=Moses |url=https://archive.org/details/kingshandbookof00king/page/884/mode/2up |title=King's handbook of New York City |publisher=M. King |year=1892 |page=884 |oclc=7880859}}</ref> ==== Upper stories ==== [[File:Puck Building August 2024 007.jpg|thumb|The windows on the fourth through seventh stories. On the fourth story, each bay contains two windows, while on the floors above, the bays are split into groups of three.]] On the third to seventh stories, the piers are narrower than on the lower stories.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The third and fourth stories comprise a second tier of [[Arcade (architecture)|arcades]]. Within each bay, the third and fourth stories are composed of two double-height arches, each of which is half the width of the ground-level arches.<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> The windows between the third and fourth stories are separated by patterned [[spandrel]] panels. Within each arched opening, there is a pair of [[sash window]]s on either story.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> Each pair of arches is separated vertically by a narrow brickwork pier with patterned [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]].<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> In addition, there are [[corbel]]s and brownstone sills running horizontally above the fourth story.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The fifth through seventh stories of each bay comprise a third arcade. On these stories, each bay has three triple-height arches, each measuring one-third of the width of the ground-level arches.<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> Within each arched opening, there is a single sash window on each of the fifth through seventh stories.<ref name="NYCL pp. 6–7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|pages=6–7}}</ref> As with the third-and-fourth-story windows, each arch is divided by narrow brickwork piers with patterned capitals.<ref name="NYCL p. 6; NPS p. 2" /> At the sixth story of the building's northeast corner, the chamfer has a massive console bracket, which originally served as the base of a flagpole.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /><ref name="King 1892" /> A patterned brick course, corbels, a brownstone sill, and a [[cornice]] run horizontally above the seventh story of the original building.<ref name="NYCL pp. 6–7" /> The annex rises another two stories; the eighth and ninth stories of the annex form a separate arcade.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> On these stories, each bay contains three double-height arches, which are the same width as the arches on the fifth through seventh stories. A cornice runs horizontally above the ninth floor, and each of the piers rises slightly above the level of the cornice.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> Both the original building and the annex were originally topped by a [[parapet]]. The section of the parapet above the original building was removed by the late 20th century<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> but was restored in the 2010s.<ref name="Kusisto 2011">{{cite news |last1=Kusisto |first1=Laura |last2=De Avila |first2=Joseph |date=December 7, 2011 |title=City News: SoHo Landmark Posts Gains on Condo Plan |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577082633712684206.html |access-date=October 4, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=A.25 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|908719084}} |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218160115/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577082633712684206.html? |url-status=live }}</ref>
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