{"nrhp_refnum":"97001148","name":"Century Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"33 E. 17th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.73717222800008,"lon":-73.98975109699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-story Queen Anne style commercial building at 33 East 17th Street in Manhattan, facing Union Square Park and extending through the block to East 18th Street. It was built in 1880-81 for the Arnold-Constable family to designs by William Schickel.","why_significant":"The building is tied to the Century Publishing Company, publisher of Century Magazine, which was a tenant from 1881 until 1914/15. It represents the commercial growth north of 14th Street in the later nineteenth century. It is also a rare example of Queen Anne style commercial architecture and an important work by architect William Schickel.","narrative":"Facing Union Square Park at 33 East 17th Street and running through to East 18th Street, this six-story Queen Anne building was erected in 1880-81. William Schickel designed it for the Arnold-Constable family, who owned the land and built it as an investment. Red brick, Wyoming bluestone and terra-cotta ornament, a cast-iron storefront and a slate mansard roof define the more elaborate 17th Street front. Inside, it keeps an open plan with ornate cast-iron columns and a restored original staircase. The Century Publishing Company, publisher of Century Magazine under editor Richard Watson Gilder, rented space here from 1881 until 1914/15. The building also reflects the northward spread of New York's commercial district into the Union Square area. Queen Anne design was rare for large commercial buildings, and this one is considered Schickel's first commercial work. It was converted to a bookstore in 1994-95.","period_of_significance":"1880-1915","architect_builder":"Schickel, William","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Converted to a Barnes and Noble bookstore in 1994-95; the building retains a high degree of integrity inside and out, and its upper floors serve as office space and retail areas.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.675467-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/97001148.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001148/01d33c25d6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001148/01d33c25d6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnes_%26_Noble_Union_Square_NYC.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnes_%26_Noble_Union_Square_NYC.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319360","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_Building_(Union_Square,_Manhattan)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q601881"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/century-building-97001148/"}