339 Lafayette Street

339 Lafayette Street is a six-story brick building with office spaces distributed across multiple floors in a compact footprint. The rooms were modestly furnished and designed to serve multiple organizations working in close proximity.

The War Resisters League purchased the building in 1974 and established it as a center for political organizations. Later, the A.J. Muste Institute took over management and continued this mission for decades afterward.

The building became known as the Peace Pentagon because numerous social justice and anti-war organizations filled its floors with their work. Walking through the hallways, you could see the names of different activist groups sharing the same address.

The building is located near multiple subway stations and is easily accessible by public transit. The affordable rental rates made it available to smaller organizations until the space closed in 2015.

The building maintained below-market rental rates for politically aligned groups for many years, making it a rare refuge for activists. These low rates allowed smaller organizations to survive and grow without financial strain.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1920

GPS coordinates: 40.72611,-73.99417

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:48