[190 Bowery from Digital Destinations on Vimeo.]
Save for a 2008 feature in New York Magazine, the inner workings of 190 Bowery, a graffiti-covered bank-turned-mansion that just sold for $55 million, have been a secret. But now that photographer Jay Maisel and his family are moving out, the veil of mystery is coming off. A new video from Digital Destinations gives a tour of the space, showing where Maisel worked and revealing some of the building's preserved spaces. Built in 1898 as the Germania Bank, 190 Bowery was abandoned when Maisel bought it in 1966 for just $102,000 (!!), but as the video shows, a lot of original features survived, even though new owner Aby Rosen said the building is "in terrible shape."
The video gives glimpses of the original copper elevator cage, the bank's vault (now storage), carved moldings and woodwork, stained glass windows, and an ornate spiral staircase topped by a domed skylight, plus the rooftop deck. Rosen's company is already marketing the property as a development site (he originally said he'd be converting it to condos), but hopefully whoever wipes this gritty landmark clean preserves what remains.
· Jay Maisel's New York City studio at 190 Bowery: Visit the iconic NYC building he just sold for 55 million [ISO via EVG]
· Is the Mysterious Bowery Building Actually Being Vacated? [Curbed]
· All 190 Bowery coverage [Curbed]
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