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Built as a warehouse for the fur dealer William H. Gunther after whom it
is named, this structure later served as a fabric showroom and currently
houses an art gallery and artists' studios. These functional changes
exemplify Soho's gradual transformation from a short-lived residential
area (1820s-30s), into a predominantly textile-oriented commercial
district (1850s-1910s), a low grade manufacturing district
(1910s-50s), and finally into a neighborhood containing galleries,
artists' studios and trendy boutiques (1960s-present).
This six story cast-iron building has a sophisticated Second Empire facade as was popular in the 1870s. This style is characterized by diminishing tiers of broad double-hung windows separated by regularly spaced Corinthian columns and lavish decoration in the form of cornices, balustrades and brackets. The building's curved corner exemplifies the plastic qualities of both cast iron and rolled glass.
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