Two Hundred and Fifty Plus, 9

Our last pre-revolution building, for the last day before July 4, 2026, is one that just made it before the construction cut-off date of July 4, 1776: 273 Water Street was constructed in 1773. This is a house, built for Joseph Rose, used by him and his family until 1807, and with many owners, uses, and alterations after that. The original house was mostly wood-frame, with a brick front facade and a gable roof. The biggest alteration was after a fire in 1904, when the gable was removed and two stories added. That’s probably also when the rear wall was rebuilt as brick. It burned again in the 1970s, and sat empty until restored in the 1990s as part of the redevelopment of the South Street Seaport area. I should note that we never worked on it, but have worked on eight of its immediate neighbors. The building is commonly mentioned as among the oldest in Manhattan, but we’re into Ship of Theseus territory. At best, original material includes portions of the front facade, some of the…