Great Architects of New York: Henry J. Hardenbergh
43 West 23rd Street
Location
West 23rd and 24th Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
New York, N.Y. 10010
Neighborhood
Chelsea / Flatiron District
Built
June 30, 1893, to May 30, 1894
Landmark Status
Within the Ladies' Mile Historic District.
Use
Originally a warehouse. Now administrative offices for the Girl Scouts and Touro College's Graduate School of Education & Psychology, and also the Moda Furniture store, which at the time this was taken on May 29, 2006, was offering a big sale.
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Intricate geometry for a building meant to serve as a warehouse. Four two-story columns support four two-story pilasters (two thin, two wide), within which three one-story pilasters support three one-story columns.

The cat motif would appear again at the Rumford Falls Power Company Building.
The West 23rd Street facade.


Detail above the fifth floor's arched middle window.


The rear of the building on West 24th Street.


Detail from the 24th Street facade, which has four gargoyles depicting what I take to be Pan, the ancient Greek god of shepherding and haunter of forests. Note also the alternating rhythm of the extra long bricks.


Back to the front, for historical context: An 1897 feature on Hardenbergh in Architectural Record included this image of the building without any comment beyond a caption: "Warehouse (1894), West 23rd St., New York City." Before I discovered local.live.com, I had thought this could be a picture of the Dominick & Haff Glass Factory over at 543 West 23rd Street.