Coignet Stone Company Building

The Coignet Stone Company Building in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Built in 1872-73, this is the last remaining structure of the Coignet Stone Company complex, which occupied five acres of land along the Gowanus Canal. The company manufactured a type of pre-cast cement material patented by Frenchman François Coignet. This material was used in St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Metropolitan Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as an alternative to brownstone in residential buildings. The company boasted that it could produce the facade of a building in a single day. This building looks like a mansion, but it actually served as a showcase for the product, and is the oldest remaining concrete structure of its type in New York.

The Coignet Company went out of business in 1882. The building was used by the Brooklyn Improvement Company until 1957. In the mid-1960s, it was covered in imitation red brick and had various occupants, but by the 1980s it was abandoned and left to deteriorate. Nonetheless, in 2006 it was designated a New York City Landmark.

The previous year, Whole Foods had bought the Coignet factory site, though not including this building. Whole Foods agreed to pay for its restoration, I guess as part of a deal to secure permits and zoning for the rest of the property, or maybe just because they didn't want a dilapidated eyesore next to their fancy new supermarket. Whole Foods built their store, and after a few lawsuits and fines were levied, made good on their promise to fund the building's restoration, even being awarded the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award for "excellence in restoration" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

The building was then put on the market for $5 million, and then again in 2019 for $6.5 million. However, there were no buyers, because despite the excellence in restoration to the exterior, the interior is still dilapidated. It's currently back on the market with an asking price of $2.99 million.

Sophia

 Life drawing from last week.

Lillian

 I went to a figure drawing session for the first time in a long while last week. 

Auction Winner!

I donated a house portrait commission for my kids' school fundraiser, and this was the highest bidder! I think they liked it.

Syracuse

More drawings from when I was in Syracuse last month. The city has lots of cool architecture, from when Syracuse's heyday when the Erie Canal passed directly through the downtown. That prosperity has long passed, but the architecture remains.

Crouse College, aka Crouse Memorial College, at Syracuse University. Located high on a hill, overlooking the campus and the city, it was the tallest structure in Syracuse at the time it was built. Built in 1889, it was funded by John Crouse, "undoubtably the richest man in Syracuse," who'd made his fortune from grocery stores and banking. It was originally called the John Crouse Memorial College for Women, in honor of his wife, Catherine , who had died in1885. Supposedly in honor of her, though not named after her. It was designed by Archimedes Russell, a prominent architect in Central New York, whose firm, King + King Architects, continues as the third oldest architectural firm in the country. It now houses the visual and performing arts departments of Syracuse University.

100 Clinton Square, aka the Community Chest Building and The Third National Bank, It was also designed by Archimedes Russell, in 1885. Third National was the first commercial bank to erect its own building. The bank closed during Great Depression. Between 1956 and1973, the building housed the Community Chest, later known as The United Way of Central NY, and then a casket company for a decade. In 1980s, it was combined with a neighboring structure into one building and converted to offices.

Maybe the most striking building I saw, the Niagara Mowhak Building. Built in 1932. this Art Deco skyscraper was the headquarters for the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, the largest electric utility of the time. It was designed by Melvin L. King. The facade incorporates color-changing light fixtures, and near the top is a 28' (8.5 m) tall statue called "The Spirit of Light."

Syracuse Houses

Last month, I was in Syracuse, NY for a theater job. I was able to sneak in a little bit of drawing. I was surprised to discover how much Victorian architecture there was in city, particularly of the Queen Anne style. Remnants of the city's heyday as a hub of the Erie Canal.

The Louis Will House was built in 1885. Louis Will was a candle manufacturer and mayor of Syracuse from 1914-1916. It features stained glass windows which are thought to be early works of the Tiffany Studios. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Nearby is the Truesdell-Schoeneck House. It was constructed in 1892 from an elaborate kit purchased from a mail-order catalogue. Its original owner was John Truesdell, and later it was owned by Edward Schoeneck, who also served as mayor and was later a New York lieutenant governor.

This house was near the apartment where I was staying. There's no special history to it that I could find; it's just a house.

Our Lady of Pompeii, 2011 vs 2014

 I don't often revisit a subject, but when I drew this church in the West Village, I remembered that I'd drawn it before. I didn't realize it had been 13 years! Interesting to see the comparison. I think I've improved a little bit?

Carlos

 More recent life drawing.

Jenna

 Back to life drawing last week.

Aurora

It's been a long while since I've done any live figure drawing. I'm in Durham for a short visit; I found a drawing session last night.