One building owner intended to demolish house in order to build seven-story office. On July 13, 2010, Landmarks heard testimony on the possible designation of two separately owned Federal-style rowhouses located at 135 and 206 Bowery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When the houses were built in the early 1800s, the Bowery was considered a fashionable upper-class residential and commercial district. While both buildings have undergone extensive alterations, they retain their essential forms and characteristics. Landmarks calendared the buildings on June 15, 2010. Council Member Margaret Chin, whose district includes the Bowery, supported designating both structures.

The 3.5-story house at 135 Bowery was built circa 1817 for John A. Hardenbrook, one of the 24 stock brokers who signed the Buttonwood Agreement that formed the precursor to the New York Stock Exchange. Hardenbrook’s daughter, Rebecca Hardenbrook-Somarindyck later lived in the house, and it remained in the family until 1944. The building’s ground floor historically housed commercial businesses while the upper floors were used as apartments. (read more…)