03 May 2011

A Cornice to Bedazzle the Straphangers


The Hollywood Diner, at the northeast corner of Sixth and 17th in Chelsea, has what must be one of the most highly sculpted cornices in town. That's a doozy, cousin, and no mistake!

Surely, some grandiose business once dwelled here. And indeed did. The Knickerbocker Jewelry Company. It was built in 1903 by Simeon B. Eisendrath. Why'd Simeon execute such a big-deal cornice? To attract the attention of subway riders. The Sixth Avenue elevated train ran right by here, you see.

No elevated train today. So the top floor is for rent.

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3 comments:

  1. Ken Mac5/04/2011 9:57 PM

    maybe that explains beautiful cornices all over town...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brooks of Sheffield5/05/2011 5:55 AM

    Ken, it also explains why, on Sixth Avenue in Chelsea, you find so many buildings that have those second-floor storefronts.

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  3. Elisa5/07/2011 7:09 PM

    The Hollywood is actually at 6th Ave. & 16th Street - it's our local diner! I never even noticed how lovely the building is. Thanks for pointing it out!

    ReplyDelete

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