NoHo in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

De Vinne Press Building

New York Designated Landmark

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, May 30, 2017

1. De Vinne Press Building Marker

Inscription. Thomas DeVinne (1828-1914), for whom this building was named, was a noted and scholarly printer who produced Scribner's Monthly and St. Nicholas Magazine as well as the Century Dictionary and Century Magazine. Babb, Cook & Willard's strong design of 1885 is in the Romanesque style, beautifully executed in brick and terra cotta. It had considerable influence on the design of contemporary commercial buildings. Built before skeletal steel construction was developed, the eight stories are supported by thick masonry bearing walls.

Listen on the National Register of Historic Places by the
United States Department of the Interior

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 40° 43.676′ N, 73° 59.576′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in NoHo. Marker is at the intersection of Lafayette Street and East 4th Street on Lafayette Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 399 Lafayette Street, New York NY 10003, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Merchant’s House Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Merchants House of New York (within shouting distance of this marker); 376-380 Lafayette Street

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Manuel Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker); The Weitz & Luxenberg Building (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Engine 33 and Ladder 9 (about 400 feet away); Firehouse Engine Company No. 33 (about 400 feet away); America’s First Freedom Rider (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.

Also see . . .
1. De Vinne Press Building, Fourth and Lafayette Streets; An Understated Masterpiece...(NYT, 4/13/2003). Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard, the De Vinne building is a masterpiece of understated power, big, broad plain brick walls decorated almost entirely by their own constructive elements -- strapwork quoining at the corners, high deep arches, multipaned windows -- and a sweeping arcade of window openings across the top. Writing in The Architectural Record in 1904, the critic Russell Sturgis said: ''No photographs give the full sense of its bigness, its breadth and its mass. More than once visitors on their way to see it have been pulled up suddenly by a sudden sense of its large presence.'' It seems
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, May 30, 2017

2. De Vinne Press Building and Marker
out of place in New York, more like some brawny Midwestern factory. (Submitted on July 17, 2017.)

2. The 1886 De Vinne Press Bldg -- No. 395 Lafayette St (Daytonian in Manhattan). (Submitted on July 17, 2017.)

De Vinne Press Building image. Click for full size.

Photo courtesy of Cornell University via Wikipedia Commons, circa 1890

3. De Vinne Press Building

Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2017, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 287 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 17, 2017, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.