Pioneer Building, listed on the NRHP in Westchester County, New York
The Pioneer Building is a two-story commercial structure in Neo-Italian Renaissance style located in New Rochelle, New York, constructed in 1892. It features warm buff-colored brick with decorative window arches and a distinctive double cornice of copper and metal that crowns the top.
The Pioneer Building was constructed in 1892 by Henry Sweet to house the printing equipment of the New Rochelle Pioneer newspaper, founded in 1860. After the newspaper closed in 1920, the building served various purposes before local businesswoman Sylvia Schur purchased and carefully restored it in 1981, saving it from demolition.
The Pioneer Building originally housed the offices of the New Rochelle Pioneer newspaper and served as an important hub for local news. The structure reflects the commercial culture of the late 1800s, when newspaper offices were central to community life.
The Pioneer Building is located on Lawton Street in downtown New Rochelle and is easily accessible on foot. The narrow footprint and plain painted brick side walls show it was designed as part of a continuous row of storefronts, making it simple to spot.
The area where it stands was once called 'Newspaper Row' because multiple newspaper offices operated along the street. It is remarkable that the Pioneer Building is one of the last remaining structures from that era, as much of the block was demolished in the 1970s to make way for a library.
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