Today in LES History: The First Free Public Bathhouse is Landmarked
This image has been archived or removed.
Photo: Emilio Guerra
On this day in…
2008 – The first free public bathhouse in New York City, located at 538-540 East 11th Street, was designated a landmark. The bathhouse first opened in 1905 in a predominantly German neighborhood, closed in 1958, then converted into a garage that operated until 1995. Today, the historic, neo-Italian Renaissance structure serves as a residential building.
During its heyday, the public bathhouse was equipped with seven bathtubs and 94 showers.
Today in LES History is compiled by Lower East Side History Project, an award-winning non-profit organization which offers research, consulting and daily public and private walking tours. See the full schedule here: http://leshp.org.
Recent Stories
East Broadway Subway Station Turns 85
The East Broadway subway station wasn’t always a shady dungeon attracting crime. Once upon a time, the transit stop inspired celebrations across the Lower East Side. It was exactly eighty-five years ago – January 1, 1936 – that the East Broadway subway station debuted to the public. The feat of subterranean engineering, then known as […]
Looking at the New Ludlow House Annex Atop Demolished Libation Site
Well, that was quick. With Libation excised from the Lower East Side, the hole is now filled. Taken over by Ludlow House. The building at 137 Ludlow Street was demolished last year, and replaced in a matter of months. In fact, it’s already operational. The architecture of this one-story newcomer mirrors design elements of its […]
Stringer Promises ‘Fair Share’ of PPP for City Businesses
City Comptroller (and mayoral candidate) Scott Stringer held a press conference yesterday at the Chinatown kiosk on Canal Street, announcing a plan to funnel federal Payroll Protection (PPP) dollars to New York city businesses. It certainly triggered an uncomfortable memory of last year’s PPP fiasco. The first round of PPP went into effect just a […]
‘Open Streets’ Town Hall Yields More Questions than Answers
Tuesday night’s Town Hall on Open Restaurants and Open Streets, hosted by Community Boards 3 and 6 – left residents with more questions than answers regarding the long-term impact these pandemic-era health and economic neighborhood solutions have on a post-COVID city. However, the online meetup did bring a wide scope of information in terms of […]
Unused Half of Bowery’s Sunshine Hotel Flophouse Available to Rent
The leasing banner has been strung from the facade of 241 Bowery for more than two years. Without much success. The second and third floors (combined 8,938 square-feet) – once part of the Sunshine Hotel flophouse – are again on the market. And at a hefty price: $6,495 for a “raw” space that requires renovations […]
