Mills House
Encyclopedia
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was designed by architect Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg was a noted American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. He was also an advocate for urban reform and architecture's social responsibility.-Biography:...
in the 1890s as a men's hotel.
Built as a hostel for poor gentlemen, this block-wide building was constructed on the site previously occupied by Depau Row. Mills House originally contained 1,500 tiny rooms available at affordable rates and is one of two survivors of three men's hotels built by Darius Ogden Mills
Darius Ogden Mills
Darius Ogden Mills was a prominent American banker, philanthropist and, for a time, California's wealthiest citizen.-Biography:...
, a banker, in New York City. Mills House No. 2, which contained 600 small rooms for homeless men, was located on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. Mills House No. 3 still stands at 485 Seventh Avenue, at the northeast corner of 36th Street.
Mills House hotels were closed during the day to encourage its residents to seek work.
The hotel was built in accordance with the 1879 Tenement House Law known as the 'Old Law.'
With two 60 square feet (5.6 m²) airshafts penetrating a structure that occupies four city lots, this building exemplifies Flagg's main proposals for changes in the zoning laws.
A major lobbyist for housing reform, Flagg might have been inspired by the layout of The Dakota
The Dakota
The Dakota, constructed from October 25, 1880 to October 27, 1884, is a co-op apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City...
(1884), or by the apartment buildings he had seen in Paris during his studies abroad.
In 1902 Jacob A. Riis included the Mills Houses in his book The Battle with the Slum.
The Village Gate
The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York.Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 158 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structure by architect Ernest Flagg was known at the time as...
also was located in this building for over 28 years. Currently it is a CVS Pharmacy with The Village Theater located below.