Former Century Association Building

History and architecture

The Century Association Building was designed by the firm of Gambrill & Richardson, whose partners were both members of the association and one of whom, Henry Hobson Richardson, went on to become one of this country's most prominent architects. Built in 1869, the building appears to be Manhattan's oldest surviving structure erected as a clubhouse. Its exterior, which remains remarkably intact, heralded a wave of neo-Grec buildings in the early 1870s.

The Century Association, founded in 1847 to promote interest in literature and the arts, attracted authors, artists, and amateurs of letters and the fine arts, many of whom were national leaders in their fields. During the era when the Union Square vicinity flourished as New York's amusement district, the organization established its first permanent home in 1857 on this East 15th Street site in an existing dwelling. The Centurions rebuilt the clubhouse in 1869 to the designs of Gambrill & Richardson and remained there until 1891.

The Century Association Building is a concrete reminder of the distinguished history of one of New York's most prominent institutions.