Christodora House, building in Manhattan, New York, United States
Christodora House is a 16-story building in Manhattan on Avenue B that was completed in 1928 and originally designed as a settlement house for people with limited means. The structure once housed a gym, swimming pool, music school, small theater, large library, meeting rooms, and residential apartments, with its lower floors open to the public and members.
The building was designed by architect Henry C. Pelton in the American Perpendicular Style and financed by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Curtiss James with over one million dollars. After World War II, New York City purchased it in 1948 for youth services, but later sold it to private owners in 1975, who eventually converted it into condominiums.
The building carries the name of its original mission as the Young Women's Settlement, reflecting its roots as a refuge for women and immigrants arriving in the city. Today, the structure serves as a marker of how the East Village has transformed, with its past as a community center visible in the architectural choices that shaped its design.
The building is located on Avenue B in the East Village and is now a mix of private residential units and nonprofit office spaces, so public access is limited. Visitors can view the exterior architecture and facade from the street, but the interior is not open to the public.
The building was at the center of the 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riot, when protests over neighborhood gentrification resulted in broken windows and damaged front doors. This event captures the tension that surrounded the area's rapid transformation during that era.
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