177 Prince Street

SoHo | built 1873

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1854
Architect Charles Mettam, designer of 177 Prince, proposes an elevated transit system for New York in 1854
Charles Mettam, the architect of 177 Prince Street, was born and educated in Dublin and worked in Dublin and London before coming to New York in 1848. In 1854 he put forward the first proposal for an elevated transit system in the city, in Scientific American. He also designed Abraham Lincoln's New York funeral car and held patents on construction, including cast iron.
“Mettam was the first to propose an elevated transit system for New York in Scientific American in 1854…”
Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
1873
William Westerfield has Charles Mettam design a six-story loft at 177 Prince
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William Westerfield commissioned this six-story red-brick loft in 1873 from architect Charles Mettam. By 1902 it housed light manufacturing, and around 1925 it was converted to a store and warehouse. A metal cornice with ogival brackets is a rare Neo-Grec touch on an otherwise plain facade, and it was cut back before about 1940 to make room for a fire escape.
“…designed by Charles Mettam for William Westerfield in 1873…”
Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

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