A Glimpse Inside The Landmarked Coignet Stone Building On Third Street In Gowanus

The Coignet building in all its glory. An etching from 1873.

(Thanks, Marlene)

Historic photo of the Coignet Stone Company Building

****UPDATE***

I am so sorry, everyone, but I have been asked to remove the photos of the interior of the building. I know! Major disappointment.  Everyone was so excited to get a glimpse. 


Late this morning, I was alerted to the fact that there was a demolition truck in front of the landmarked Coignet Stone building on the Whole Foods site.  I immediately grabbed my camera and walked over to the corner of Third Avenue and Third Street to check it out.  

Indeed, a crew was at work inside and was hauling debris out to the truck.

The owner of the N & M Demolition Company of Staten Island, who was standing outside, told me that he was a friend of the building's owner and had been asked by him to secure the inside of the landmark.
N&M's owner allowed me to take a look at the heavily damaged interior.

Except for the door molding and a wonderful curved staircase, not much original detail remains, but even in its decrepit state, this neighborhood gem still has incredible potential.  Most of the damage appeared to be water related.

For quite a few years now, the historic structure has been deteriorating, its beautiful ornate façade slowly crumbling away. Its owner, Richard Kowalski, of Beach Haven, N.J, had signed a Memorandum of Lease with Whole Foods back in 2005, when the company purchased the land surrounding the building in order to construct one of their food markets. Under the lease agreement, Whole Foods was to restore and repair the old house.  The work, however, has been postponed till recently. In early 2011, the roof was replaced, which was the first encouraging sign.

The 1873 building was designed by William Fields & Son and housed the New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company, which occupied five acres along the Gowanus Canal. In more recent history, it was home to the Pippin Radiator Company.

The Coignet Stone Company building was landmarked in 2006 by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. You can read more about its history here.