A colorful comeback on 4th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After a few months in primer, the color has returned to 246 E. Fourth St. at Avenue B. 

Building owner Tony Echeverri and his son, Michael, hand-picked the new palette: Mayan Gold-Aqua Leaf with extra glitter, Spring Lilac, Charmed Violet, Heritage Red and Serendipity Peach, along with black and white.

The project required more than 300 gallons of Benjamin Moore paint. Gold alone costs $260 per gallon, and Tony added glitter because he wanted even more sparkle. The paint and primer cost several thousand dollars, not including labor.

As previously reported, the building receives a new paint job every five years or so. This time, the Echeverris switched from water-based paint, which generally lasted five to seven years, to oil-based paint. They hope the new exterior will last a decade. 

The previous palette featured green and blue. Regardless of the combination, Tony has always selected and designed the details himself. 

Tony bought the building in 1992 and moved in two years later, after previously working as a superintendent at 20 Clinton St. The building contains 16 apartments: five one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms, and the studio where Tony lives.

You've seen the outside... let's head inside... which Tony has meticulously cared for through the years...

The most colorful building in the East Village isn’t permanently turning white

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Some neighbors have expressed concern about the sudden disappearance of the familiar colors at the southeast corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street. 

Not to worry: The white exterior is only primer. Antonio Echeverri, who has owned the building at 246 E. Fourth St. since 1992, told us that a new color scheme is on the way: red, gold and two shades of burgundy. The lavender and purple around the ground-floor entrance and grates will remain.

He refreshes the building about every five years. Painting is expected to begin soon and take about three weeks.

Echeverri, whose son, Michael, also lives in the building, has long selected — and sometimes mixed — the colors himself. 

He said the palette reflects the colorful buildings he remembers from his native Colombia. The building previously featured a violet exterior with red trim, along with touches of blue and gold. 

As The Village Voice reported in a 2016 profile, Echeverri bought the property when it was close to being condemned and gradually restored it, working apartment by apartment with a small crew and often doing the renovations himself. 

So, no, the white era isn’t permanent. Stay tuned for the next coat.

Friday's parting shot

Photo of the building on the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Avenue B this morning...