History and architecture
The red brick building at 506 Canal Street is part of a rare surviving cluster of early nineteenth-century structures in lower Manhattan on a block partially created on landfill located close to the Hudson River waterfront. It was built in 1826 with the adjacent house at 508 Canal Street on a midblock site between Greenwich and Washington Streets by John G. Rohr.
Rohr, a merchant tailor, developed several properties on both sides of Canal Street and had his business in a building at the northwest corner of Canal and Greenwich.
He lived with his family in this building between 1830 and 1853. The building retains distinctive characteristics of the Federal style, including Flemish bond brickwork, brownstone window sills and entrance archway, and peaked roof. The most unusual feature is the three-bay castiron storefront with semi-elliptical arches, which appears to date from the original construction of the building and is the only known storefront of its kind to survive in New York City. The presence of 506 Canal Street 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.