63 Nassau Street

The five-story building at 63 Nassau Street showcases Renaissance Revival design with a cast-iron facade featuring stacked arcades and ornamental details at the roofline. The structure retains its commercial purpose with ground-level display windows and a glass-door entrance for pedestrian access.

Constructed in 1844 and modified between 1857 and 1859, this structure ranks among the earliest cast-iron buildings erected in New York City. The modifications reflected the growing popularity of cast-iron as a material for urban commercial architecture during the mid-1800s.

The facade displays two bas-relief portrait busts of Benjamin Franklin, reflecting the 19th-century practice of embedding American historical figures into architectural design. These portraits serve as a reminder of how architects once honored important figures through their buildings.

The building sits between Maiden Lane and John Street in the Financial District and continues to serve commercial purposes. Visitors can best view the architectural details from the street level where the facade and entrance are fully visible.

This building represents one of only five surviving structures designed by James Bogardus, a pioneer whose cast-iron construction techniques revolutionized how American cities were built. His innovative methods made cast-iron an affordable and practical choice for rapid commercial development.