Everett Building, Commercial building on Union Square, Manhattan, United States.
The Everett Building is a commercial structure at Union Square in Manhattan featuring 16 stories with a white terracotta facade divided by strong vertical bays. These vertical divisions extend from top to bottom, while generous ground-level storefronts create a strong connection between the building and the busy street below.
The building was completed in 1908, replacing an old hotel property as Union Square shifted from residential to commercial use during a major urban transformation. This construction wave reflected broader changes in Manhattan as property owners adapted their land to new economic demands.
The white terracotta facade and strong vertical lines reflect what commercial architects of the early 1900s considered elegant and modern for display buildings. The large ground-floor storefronts show how merchants of that era wanted to present their goods directly to passersby on busy streets.
The building sits at the corner of Park Avenue South and East 17th Street, directly connected to the 14th Street-Union Square subway station below. The neighborhood is highly walkable and easy to reach from multiple directions via public transportation.
The structure conceals a hidden 17th floor behind its upper cornice, despite being officially registered as a 16-story building. Architects sometimes designed these hidden stories to control the visual appearance of the roofline or to mask mechanical systems from street view.
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