GILSEY HOUSE 1200 Broadway Stephen Decatur Hatch 1869-71

The Second Empire style Gilsey House commands the corner of Broadway with its white, cast-iron façades and chamfered corner. The building was designed to recall the Second Empire penchant for pavilions, created by the use of columns and convex mansard towers. The structure had been a hotel until 1911, for roughly 40 years during the neighborhood’s reign as an entertainment district. When the theaters moved uptown to Times Square, the building found itself standing in the new garment district and was converted to loft space. In 1980, the building was restored and converted into cooperative apartments. The Gilsey House was designated a New York City Landmark in 1979, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.