Closing Bell: Fifth and Broadway in Williamsburg?

Learn something new everyday. Scouting NY wondered why this building at Driggs Avenue and Broadway in Williamsburg had "Fifth and B'Way" inscribed on one of its corners. Broadway and Fifth Street (North and South) run parallel and never meet. Fortunately, a commenter cleared things up. Did you know that Driggs Avenue was once named Fifth Street and Bedford Avenue was known as Fourth Street? Look at the Bedford Cheese Shop building for proof (same inscription). Now you know.
Photo by nycscout.

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GORGEOUS BUILDING.

Posted by: Adam Dahill at June 2, 2009 4:13 PM

Wow! Is that building painted black? It is stunning!

Posted by: superstooper at June 2, 2009 4:21 PM

Quite a few Williamsburg streets have been renamed over the years, and some have been demapped (for example, McKibbin Street used to extend all the way to Broadway)...

Posted by: 1842 at June 2, 2009 4:53 PM

The buildings down and around Broadway, west of Havemeyer are great.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 2, 2009 5:03 PM

This is the former Sparrow Shoe factory warehouse. LPC spoke with the owner, or a prior owner, about landmarking the building and the owner said it wasn't interested.

It's interesting to see a bank on the ground floor. There used to be a bunch of banks on this stretch of Broadway, then it was just the Williamsburgh Savings Bank (or whatever successor now owns it).

Metropolitan Avenue used to be North Second Street.

Posted by: altervoce at June 2, 2009 5:04 PM

It's always a tragedy when a brick building gets painted but that one sure looks nice

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 2, 2009 5:20 PM

The front is cast-iron, which is supposed to be painted. The side (Fifth Street) is brick, which is better not painted. The paint job is new, too: http://www.wgpa.us/2009/04/forman-painted.html

The numbered street extended as far as Union, which was the division between the original village of Williamsburgh (numbered street) and East Williasmburgh (named n/s streets - Leonard, Lorimer, etc.). It must have been very confusing to have North 5th Street, South Fifth Street (both e/w) and Fifth Street (n/s). The names were changed after consolidation (1855), basically by continuing the corresponding named street from the City of Brooklyn (Kent, Wythe, etc.).

I think LPC actually calendered the building, and it may still be calendered (or heard but not designated)

Posted by: WBer at June 2, 2009 6:01 PM

can you just imagine how glorious this building would look if it were painted in a more original color scheme?

Posted by: sam at June 2, 2009 8:59 PM

It's actually painted a dark brown and was done so recently. I agree the brick side would look better as brick and I wonder what the iron facade originally looked like. The other side of the building has a massive ad painted for Peter Luger's who is across the street (and has offices in this particular building too). I can't believe the building isn't land marked, it should. Unfortunately during the new paint job one of the ornamental iron flourishes that are applied throughout the building fell off (you can see the paint underneath the new coat, directly above the first car on the left and above the Capital One sign).

Posted by: jrd550 at June 3, 2009 9:36 AM

It's not paint and the building is not constructed of brick and cast-iron. Whole damn thing is chocolate!

Posted by: g man at June 3, 2009 9:39 AM

g- summer's coming, man.

Posted by: superstooper at June 3, 2009 10:06 AM

I'll bring the ice cream.

Posted by: g man at June 3, 2009 10:51 AM

The building is very handsome. Like a large block of fudge. YUM!

Posted by: grip100692 at June 3, 2009 3:57 PM

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June 2, 2009

Closing Bell: Fifth and Broadway in Williamsburg?

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