History and architecture
The red brick double building at 480 Greenwich Street/502 Canal Street is part of a rare surviving cluster of early nineteenth-century structures in lower Manhattan on a block partially created on landfill and located close to the Hudson River waterfront. It was built in 1818-19 on an irregularly-shaped corner lot at the intersection of Greenwich and Canal Streets by John Y. Smith.
Smith, a manufacturer of starch and hair powder, operated his business on the ground floor and lived with his family upstairs in the building. The building retains distinctive characteristics of the Federal style, including Flemish bond brickwork, brownstone window lintels and sills, and the curved bay which links the facades of the two sections at the corner. The building has always had commercial space at the ground story with residential accommodations above. Its presence is a striking reminder of the initial phase of the development of New York City in the years of the early republic.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.