402 East 90th Street
Here is what I found out about this old facade, from a 1992 column called Streetscapes about NYC architecture by Christopher Gray:
A Converted Orphanage: Before reconstruction into apartments, this building was used as a garage but it was built as part of an orphan asylum. St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum was founded in 1857 for the care of Roman Catholic orphans of German origin. The asylum built various structures on the block bounded by 89th and 90th Streets, First Avenue and York Avenue, and 402 East 90th Street was built in 1898.
Designed by A.F.A. Schmitt, the large brick building was apparently used as a church. Facing 90th Street, it has a facade similar to a power plant or warehouse, but the principal, eastern facade – originally facing the orphan asylum grounds – has a curious temple front, which is still largely intact. The orphanage was operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
In 1918, the building was converted to a garage. In the 1970's, there were several plans filed with the Department of Buildings to convert the building to tennis or squash courts but it appears that these were not carried out and that the building was converted to apartments by adding several stories in 1986 in a conversion that, incidentally, preserved some of the original facades.
402 East 90th Street
Here is what I found out about this old facade, from a 1992 column called Streetscapes about NYC architecture by Christopher Gray:
A Converted Orphanage: Before reconstruction into apartments, this building was used as a garage but it was built as part of an orphan asylum. St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum was founded in 1857 for the care of Roman Catholic orphans of German origin. The asylum built various structures on the block bounded by 89th and 90th Streets, First Avenue and York Avenue, and 402 East 90th Street was built in 1898.
Designed by A.F.A. Schmitt, the large brick building was apparently used as a church. Facing 90th Street, it has a facade similar to a power plant or warehouse, but the principal, eastern facade – originally facing the orphan asylum grounds – has a curious temple front, which is still largely intact. The orphanage was operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
In 1918, the building was converted to a garage. In the 1970's, there were several plans filed with the Department of Buildings to convert the building to tennis or squash courts but it appears that these were not carried out and that the building was converted to apartments by adding several stories in 1986 in a conversion that, incidentally, preserved some of the original facades.