Richard Morris Hunt
1873

The six-story Peck Slip building was constructed for trustees of Roosevelt Hospital on land that had initially been a water lot granted to Jacobus Roosevelt in 1751. It was designed to house “first class stores” by Richard Morris Hunt, the first American architect to train at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Hunt’s remaining works in New York City are unfortunately few, but include the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty (1886) and the façade and Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1894-1902), both of which are designated New York City Landmarks. 21-23 Peck Slip, which features Victorian Gothic style polychrome brickwork, differs from Hunt's characteristic Beaux-Arts style. While the ground floor of the Peck Slip side has undergone alterations, the original segmental-arched openings on the Water Street side are still intact. The building's date of construction, "1873", can be seen on the Peck Slip façade, arranged vertically on the central brick pier (the "1" is placed just above the fourth story). On the Water Street façade, 45 star anchors are neatly spaced, tying in the timber floors to the masonry street wall.

21-23 Peck Slip is located in the New York City and State and National Register of Historic Places South Street Seaport historic districts.