The Puzzling Anomaly at 41 Bank Street

 

photo by Jason Kessler

On April 30, 1890, James W. Ketcham purchased the house-and-store at the northeast corner of West 4th and Bank Street from Mary E. Faitoute, paying $24,000 for it and the "two-story frame (brick front) stable on rear," as reported by the Record & Guide.  The price would translate to about $829,000 in 2024.

The West 4th Street house had been erected in 1836.  Ketcham raised its peaked attic to a third floor before selling the property a year later, on April 4, 1891, to John S. Mortimer.  Mortimer renovated the store to a saloon, demolished the stable, and erected a one-story extension at 41 Bank Street.  It served as the residential entrance to the upper floors.

On August 29, 1895, The New York Times reported, "Patrick McIntyre...who was found unconscious Sunday morning at the side entrance to the saloon of John Mortimer, 41 Bank Street, died yesterday."  McIntyre was the well-to-do owner of the Tally-Ho Stables on West 15th Street.  Although McIntyre had left his home that night with "considerable money," according to his son, and his wallet was missing when he was found, police "could find no evidence of foul play," according to the article.

The building caught fire on December 6, 1905.  As Engine No. 72 responded, chaos ensued.  The Evening Post reported that the tender smashed into a runabout in which Henry Cherry and James McGuire were riding at 12th Street and Fifth Avenue, and the battalion chief's wagon "knocked down and bruised" an aged woman at Bleecker and Bank Streets.  The fire damage to 41 Bank Street was minimal, but Cherry and McGuire both suffered broken bones and contusions.

The Mortimer family sold 301 West 4th Street and 41 Bank Street to Stuyvesant Wainwright in 1922.  Around the same time he acquired 303 and 305 West 4th Street and 39 Bank Street.  Six years later, The New York Times said he "remodeled them in an artistic manner and named the group Rosebank."  It was most likely at this time that the distinctive Federal style doorway was installed at 41 Bank Street.  

The entrance is nearly identical to those at 327 and 329 West 4th Street, erected in 1829, and was most likely salvaged from a neighborhood house.  The original, eight-paneled door is flanked by fluted Ionic columns and two half-columns.  They front narrow sidelights and wood carved to resemble stone blocks.  Delicate egg-and-dart carving embellishes the cornice below the transom.

photo by Jason Kessler

The surprising little building at 41 Bank Street prompts a double-take from passersby.  It continues to serve as the residential entrance to the West 4th Street structure.

many thanks to reader Jason Kessler for suggesting this post