Since 1967, the Gothic-style Jefferson Market building in Greenwich Village has served as a branch of the New York Public Library, but before that, this landmark was a prison, courthouse, and of course, a market. The structure was designed by architects Frederick Clark Withers and Calvert Vaux, who also assisted with the design of Central Park. Though the market and prison have been torn down, the transformation of the building from an 1874 courthouse to a modern library is a shining example of adaptive reuse in New York City.
On August 12th, the Jefferson Market Library is opening up its iconic clocktower exclusively for Untapped Cities! Guests will hear a brief overview of the building’s history from branch manager Frank Collerius, and then climb 149 steps to the top of the tower for fantastic 360 degree views of New York City. Then after, join us for the Insiders happy hour at Our/Vodka, the first distillery in Manhattan since Prohibition!
