B-288_301+Henry+Street

BLOCK 288

B-288_305 Henry Street

Henry Street Settlement





FROM HHS WEBSITE:
 * BLOCK || 288 ||
 * LOT || 21 ||
 * NB || BUILT 1969 ||
 * USE || CHARLES AND STELLA GUTTMAN BUILDING, HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT ||
 * ORIGINAL USE || DAY CARE CENTER, HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT ||
 * CURRENT USE || DAY CARE CENTER, HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT ||
 * NUMBER OF STORIES || 4 WITH BASEMENT ||
 * FAÇADE MATERIALS || GLAZED BRICK, TERRACOTTA, LIMESTONE ||
 * FOUNDATION MATERIAL || CONCRETE ||
 * STYLE || MODERN? ||
 * FIREPROOF || YES ||
 * NUMBER OF UNITS || ? ||
 * ELEVATOR || YES ||
 * NUMBER OF ELEVATORS || 1 ||
 * DATE OF INSTALLATION || 1969 ||
 * PARKING GARAGE || NO ||
 * DESCRIPTION || x ||
 * DATE OF INSTALLATION || x ||
 * NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES || x ||
 * LOT SIZE || 72.08' x 77.25' ||
 * BUILDING SIZE || 16,102 SQUARE FEET ||
 * BUILDING HEIGHT || ? ||
 * RELATIONSHIP TO LOT LINE || UP TO ||
 * ARCHITECT NAME + ADDRESS || DeYOUNG, MOSKOWITZ & ROSENBURG ||
 * BUILDER NAME + ADDRESS || ? ||
 * OWNER/DEVELOPER NAME + ADDRESS || HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT ||

Charles Guttman commissioned the same architects who designed Pete's House: DeYoung, Moscowitz and Rosenberg. They combined the functions of the buildings and planned the Guttman building using a unique and youth oriented design. The four-story with basement structure has white glazed brick, blue and yellow terracotta spandrel panels and limestone columns and copings clad across the upper front facade. The original renderings of the building called for a glass curtain wall between the columns across the first level at the street level. Instead, the architects used blue tiles showing animal and jungle fantasies designed by the children from the Settlement's art programs. The windows are double-hung aluminum with a matching blue paneled front entrance. The prominent limestone band above the first level is carved with the benefactor's names. The interior lobby retains the original multi-color glass one-inch wall tile, which was very popular during the period. The addition upgraded the youth center with an elevator, HVAC system, gymnasium, classrooms, and library that more than doubled the Settlement's capacity to serve the youth in the community. At the building's dedication, Charles Guttman stated, "Henry Street Settlement took me and a lot of Irish and Italian kids and sent us off to the country. You can't explain what a thrill it was. I'll never forget it, and there's no way I can really pay them back. I never knew what a cow was. This contribution doesn't even the score, but at least it serves to mark an experience that helped open a poor boy's eyes to the possibilities of life in America." Today, the programs offered at the Charles and Stella Guttman Building continue to open children's eyes to the great possibilities that lay before them.