GANSEVORT STREET NO. 53
OCTOBER 29, 1936. ABBOTT FILE 184

A triangular lot prompted the unusual shape of this otherwise mundane commercial loft near the Gansevoort Market Stand on the border of Greenwich Village. The architect rounded the building's narrow end, avoiding a useless acute angle on the interior and giving the exterior, from Abbott's viewpoint, the appearance of a stage set.

Today, the building stands in the heart of the Gansevoort Meat Market and is occupied by two meatpacking firms. Proximity to Greenwich Village and the Hudson River has brought an influx of residents to the area, as well as a number of nightclubs and restaurants whose patrons are drawn to the gritty, barren streets of the neighborhood at night. Community groups are currently lobbying for landmark designation of the Gansevoort area.

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