271 North Avenue

General information
Status| Completed
Location| 271 North Avenue, New Rochelle, New York 10801
Coordinates| 40°54′42.8″N 73°46′56.3″W﻿ / ﻿40.911889°N 73.782306°W﻿ / 40.911889; -73.782306
Completed| 1930
Cost| $1,000,000
Height
Roof| 247.0 feet (75.29 m)
Technical details
Floor count| 13
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Schwartz & Gross
Main contractor| Harry Schiff & Sons

271 North Avenue (also known as the Schiff Building, Pershing Square, the Kaufman or K Building) is a 13-story art-deco office tower located in the downtown section of New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York.

## Overview

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The brick, limestone and terra-cotta structure was designed by the architectural firm Schwartz & Gross and constructed by Harry Schiff & Sons.[1] It was completed in 1930 at a cost of $1 million.

The building is built-up following the principles which guided early skyscraper design.

Overall, the building's use of massing is derived from the sections used in all classic columnar orders, consisting of a base, shaft and capital.

The 3-story retail storefront space serves as the base, upon which are 10 stories, serving as the shaft, and, above this, is the cornice, representing the capital.[2] The lower floors include commercial storefronts on the first story with a round-arched arcade on the second and third. The upper facade is designed with flat topped windows with minor detailing in the brick surrounds. In 1936 an additional floor was added to the building. The cornice is of terra cotta and includes medallions and dentils.[3]

This was the tallest building in Westchester County when it was built in the 1920s. It was originally called the "Pershing Square Building", derived from its location on Pershing Square at the intersection of North Avenue and Huguenot Street. The building is located on the site of the former "Besley's Tavern", a Revolutionary War-era establishment where town meetings were held in 1773–1776. George Washington had once lodged at the tavern on a trip through New Rochelle. The building was developed, built and owned by Harry Schiff & Son, prominent New York developers who erected and owned numerous buildings in New Rochelle and New York City. It was later renamed "Kaufman" by a later landlord, the owner of Kaufman Studios in Queens, New York.[4] Paul Terry established his animation company Terrytoons here in 1934. The firm created such well known characters as Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle, in the building until 1949 when it relocated to a nearby downtown location.[5] WVOX-AM 1460 maintained studios and offices here for decades.

## References

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1. ^ Emporis.com[usurped]
2. ^ Sanchis, Frank E.; American Architecture Westchester County: Colonial to Contemporary (Great Barrington, Massachusetts: North River Press, 1977.)
3. ^ Taylor, David (July 2000). Building Structure Inventory Form. New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
4. ^ Animation Show Forums: Rare Terrytoons Opening/Closing
5. ^ "The "K" Building" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2013-05-23.

## External links

[edit]

* Emporis.com - 271 North Avenue building details[usurped]

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New Rochelle, New York

Areas|

* Neighborhood List
* Beechmont
* Cooper's Corners
* Davenport Neck
* Premium Point
* Residence Park
* Rochelle Park–Rochelle Heights Historic District
* Sutton Manor
* Wykagyl

Arts|

* Forty-five Minutes from Broadway
* The Dick Van Dyke Show
* J. C. Leyendecker
* Frederic Remington
* New Rochelle Art Association
* New Rochelle artist colony
* Norman Rockwell
* Ragtime
* Thanhouser Company
* Terrytoons

Downtown|

* Blessed Sacrament Church
* "K" Building
* Lowe's Theater
* Railroad station
* New Roc City
* Public Library
* Police Department
* Fire Department
* New Rochelle Trust Building
* Union Baptist Church
* Post Office
* Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital
* RKO Proctor's Theater
* St. Gabriel's Church
* Trump Plaza
* Union Baptist Church
* Ware's Department Store
* WNVU
* WVOX

Education|

* City School District of New Rochelle
* New Rochelle High School
* College of New Rochelle
* Iona University
* Iona Preparatory School
* Salesian High School
* The Ursuline School
* Thornton-Donovan School

Geography|

* Davenport Neck
* Echo Bay
* Hutchinson River
* Lake Innisfree
* Huguenot Lake
* Middle Ground (New Rochelle)
* New Rochelle Harbor
* Premium Mill-Pond
* Reservoir 2
* Reservoir 3
* Sheldrake Lake
* Sheldrake River
* Titus Mill-Pond & Wetlands
* Ward Acres Nature Preserve

History|

* Beechwoods Cemetery
* Church of the Holy Family
* Churchland pear
* Crystal Lake
* Davenport House
* First Presbyterian Church
* Fort Slocum
* Historic Sites
* Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
* Huntington pear
* Institute of Thomas Paine Studies
* Knickerbocker Building
* Lawton blackberry
* Jacob Leisler
* Jacob Leisler Statue
* Lathers Hill
* Leland Castle
* Lispenard–Rodman–Davenport House
* Mayors
* Middletown
* New Rochelle Historic Sites
* New Rochelle Walk of Fame
* New Rochelle Mall
* New Rochelle Yacht Club
* New York, Westchester and Boston Railway
* Parsonage pear
* Pioneer Building
* Quaker Ridge Railroad Station
* Seacord Cemetery
* Sestercentennial Half-Dollar
* St. John's Wilmot Church
* Glen Island Resort
* Thomas Paine Cottage
* Thomas Paine Monument
* Thomas Paine National Historical Association
* Trinity-St. Paul's Church
* Wildcliff
* Winyah Park

Islands|

* Columbia Island
* Davids Island
* Execution Rocks
* Glen Island
* Goose Island
* Huckleberry Island
* Neptune Island
* Pine Island
* Pea Island
* Pelham Islands
* Travers Island

Recreation|

* City Park Stadium
* Glen Island Park
* Huguenot Yacht Club
* Mazzella Field
* Hynes Center
* New Rochelle Rowing Club
* New York Athletic Club
* Pelham Country Club
* Wykagyl Country Club

Organizations|

* Police Department

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