Pioneer Building (New Rochelle, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pioneer Building
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The building as seen from across Lawton Street
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 14 Lawton Street, New Rochelle, New York |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | John New & Son |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 83004217 |
| Added to NRHP | December 29, 1983 |
The Pioneer Building is an old and important building in New Rochelle, New York. It was built a long time ago, in 1892. You can find it on Lawton Street in the city's main business area.
This building is special because it shows a popular building style from the late 1800s. It also tells us a lot about New Rochelle's history from that time. A local builder named John New & Son designed and built it.
The Pioneer Building is very important because many other old buildings around it were torn down. This one survived! It was added to the New York State Register of Historic Places in 1983. It also joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
A Look Back: The Pioneer Building's Story
The Pioneer Building has an interesting past. In 1892, a man named Henry Sweet wanted a special home for his newspaper. He was the editor and publisher of The New Rochelle Pioneer.
The newspaper started way back in 1860. An Irish writer named William Dyott began it. At first, it was just one of many weekly papers in New Rochelle. But it grew and became very popular.
By 1885, The Pioneer was the first daily newspaper in the community. Before 1892, the paper always worked out of rented offices. Henry Sweet decided it was time for its own building. So, he built the Pioneer Building on Lawton Street.
The newspaper stayed in this building until 1920. It had to close because of new competition. After that, many different businesses used the building. But over time, it started to look old and worn out.
Lawton Street used to be full of busy shops and offices. In the 1970s, many of these buildings were torn down. This made space for the New Rochelle Public Library. The Pioneer Building was left standing, but it was all alone.
In the late 1970s, the building was empty. People even thought about tearing it down. But then, a woman named Sylvia Schur bought it. She wanted to use it for her business, Creative Food Services. She worked hard to fix up the building. The big restoration project was finished in 1981.
Building Details: What Does It Look Like?
The Pioneer Building has two floors and four sections on its front. It sits on a long, narrow piece of land. Parking lots are on three sides of the building.
This building was meant to be part of a row of similar buildings. So, its side walls are very plain. Only the front of the building, called the facade, has fancy details.
The front of the building is decorated in the Italianate style. It is covered with special, light brown bricks. There are two decorative ledges, called cornices. One is made of copper, and the other is metal. The word 'Pioneer' is clearly written on the metal ledge.
The first floor has two storefronts. Each storefront has a main entrance in the middle. Large bay windows are on either side of these entrances.
The plain side walls are covered with painted brick. On the west side, there is a special painting that looks like real objects. It's called a trompe-l'oeil mural. A separate door on the east side lets people go up to the second floor. The back of the building is only one story tall. Two chimneys stick up from the roof on the west side.
Inside, the best-preserved parts are the two storefronts on the first floor. The entrance hall on the east side is also well-preserved. These areas still have their original floors and walls. They also have the old door and window frames. Some parts have wooden panels on the lower walls. The ceilings are made of decorated metal.
