History and architecture
Located on the northwest corner of Broadway and Thomas Street, 319 Broadway is a distinguished cast-iron Italianate-style building and the survivor of the mirror-image pair at 317 and 319 Broadway known in recent years as the "Thomas Twins." Prominently situated on a corner site, it was built in 1869-70 for civil War hero and Croton Aqueduct engineer General Thomas A. Davies on land leased from the New York Hospital, formerly located adjacent to this site.
It was designed by the firm of D. & J. Jardinel specialists in residential and commercial buildings, including many cast-iron structures such as the original B. Altrran store. The cast iron for 319 Broadway was manufactured by Daniel D. Badger's prominent New York firm, the Architectural Iron Works. The building is an excellent example of the Italianate style with motifs drawn from the north Italian Renaissance as adapted to cast iron. The building illustrates the transformation of lower Broadway in the 19th century from a residential boulevard with related institutional uses to the city's commercial center.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.