Look closely – it’s only wide enough for one window.

This renovated brownstone, wedged between two much larger buildings, is only 12.5 feet wide and does not connect with either of the neighboring properties.

OK, granted, it isn’t the skinniest building in New York City. That dubious honor belongs to 75 1/2 Bedford St, which clocks in at a minuscule 9.5 feet. But 75 1/2 Bedford is appropriately located in the West Village with other buildings at least similar in height, not the middle of towering Midtown. And 75 1/2 Bedford has a lot more window space.

The New York Times ran a piece on West 46th Street between 5th and 6th called “The Block That Looks As It Did About 1930.” I wish I had known about the article before scouting it – unlike most of the area, West 46th Street is basically an architectural artifact of a bygone era. Number 19 was built in 1865.

The popular Turkish restaurant Akdeniz is on the bottom floor, while the second floor is occupied by the Antonio and Antoinette Beauty Salon. I was told that the upper floors are all apartments. I would love to know if that top floor is its own apartment, which would be incredible.

There’s a sign on it that doesn’t belong – the Radio City Deli is no longer in business. I found this online, drawn by artist Robert Cottingham in 1979 from a picture. Is it the same place?

This article from the Times reports it as having been closed for food violations by the Department of Health in 1984, so it certainly could have been in existence then. And could that “coiffure” sign have belonged to the salon that still remains today?

Finally, if you look up at the crumbling mansard roof, you’ll see one of the fantastic designs that decorate the 13-story art deco building next door. Most are covered in dirt and grime, but some vibrant blue still shows through.

At the photolab where we develop our pictures, a fellow scout suggested that maybe – just maybe! – the building was here first, and everything built around it. I like that idea.

-SCOUT

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