Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart
About this property
The Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart is a building in East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The building was constructed in 1903-04 to the designs of Jardine, Kent & Jardine in the Beaux-Arts Style. It originally served as a horse auction mart that catered to New York's elite families, including the Vanderbilts and Delanos. Each Tuesday and Friday, Van Tassell & Kearney held auctions in the building. Though carriages remained an important part of the business, most advertisements and newspaper stories about the mart concerned the sale of horses, particularly high-priced ribbon winners, polo ponies, hunters, and thoroughbreds. Other sales were devoted to breeding stock and coach horses, including a large group of horses co-owned by Alfred W. Vanderbilt and Robert L. Gerry in 1906. As automobiles and other forms of public transit became much more common after World War I, the practical need for horses and stables decreased. The auction mart ceased functioning in the 13th Street building. It served as an assembly-line training center for women during World War II. From 1978 to 2005, artist Frank Stella owned the building and used it as his studio. His nearly 30-year stewardship of the building resulted in the facade being cleaned and restored. In 2006, after discovering plans of a new owner to demolish the building and replace it with a condo development, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) asked the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to hold an emergency hearing on the structure. There was significant support for designation, including City Councilmember Rosie Mendez. Playing on the history of the building as an assembly line training center for women during World War II, GVSHP used the iconic "We Can Do It!" image (often associated with Rosie the Riveter) on stickers, flyers, and T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "We Can Save It! Landmark 128 East 13th Street" as part of the campaign to secure landmark designation for the building. The LPC held a public hearing and halted demolition plans, but did not immediately designate the building. On November 29, 2007, the building was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. GVSHP and other advocates continued to push for designation. In May 2012, after a 6-year campaign, the LPC voted unanimously to designate the former Van Tassell & Kearney Horse Auction Mart a New York City designated landmark. In January 2010 after an extensive renovation, Peridance Center opened here at its new location. That facility included a performance venue, the KnJ Theater.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart
This page lists Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nearby Battles
Questions about this property
When was Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart listed on the National Register?
Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 2007.
What type of historic resource is Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart?
Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart?
The period of significance for Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in New York County
Historic places, battles, and census history across New York County.
Explore New YorkCounty ›More historic places in New York
Browse all historic places in New York.
View New Yorkhistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.