In September 2008, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated this address as a landmark, according to an article in The Villager. Some history from the article:
The two-story Public National Bank of New York was completed in 1923 ... It was designed by Eugene Schoen, who was the architect for other Public National Bank branches, which totaled 30 in 1928 and had $135 million in deposits.
Schoen, a New York City native, studied in Vienna with Josef Hoffmann, a founder in the late 1890s of the Viennese Secessionist school, which broke away from the prevailing academic and historic style of art and architecture.
The Public National Bank, later known as the Tompkins Square Bank, closed the Avenue C branch in 1954 and merged the following year with Bankers Trust.
Originally two stories, an intermediate floor was added between the first and second floors when the building was converted in 1954 to a nursing home. In the 1980s the Avenue C building was converted to apartments.
Anyway, given the landmark status, nothing too drastic can happen here (we think!) ... There isn't much information about the job on the DOB website — "INSTALLATION OF 106 LINEAR FEET OF HEAVY DUTY SIDEWALK SHED FOR BUILDING ALTERATION."
And later last night...
The address is particularly notable for its entrance. Here's how the LPC described it back in 2008 (PDF):
The entrance is surmounted by notable polychrome Viennese-inspired terra cotta ornament in the form of a decorative band above which is a cartouche with a wreath of fruit (which originally held a clock) above an eagle, flanked by curvilinear forms and decorative urns.
The corner entrance was filled in through the years ...
And here it is (sorry about the quality of the photo) in 1939...
...and 1983...
...and almost present day...
[Top three photos via the LPC]
