Puck Building

The Puck Building occupies the block bounded by Lafayette, Houston, Mulberry and Jersey Streets in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, United States. An example of Romanesque Revival architecture, the building was designed by Albert Wagner, and was constructed in two parts. The north section was built in 1885-1886, and the south addition in 1892-1893. The front of the building – on Lafayette Street – was relocated in 1899 when the street – then called Elm Place – was widened, this was supervised by Herman Wagner. The building was rehabilitated in 1984-1984 and further renovated in 1995 by Beyer Blinder Belle. The building sports two gilded statues by sculptor Henry Baerer of Shakespeare's character Puck, from A Midsummer's Night Dream, one on the northeast corner at Houston and Mulberry, and one over the main entrance on Lafayette.

The Puck Building is at the northwestern corner of Manhattan's NoLIta neighborhood, bordered by SoHo and the NoHo section of Greenwich Village. It is owned by Kushner Properties, the company of Charles Kushner, a major donor to Democratic politicians in New Jersey, and his son Jared Kushner, the owner of The New York Observer. Since 2004, the building has been used by New York University for the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the department of sociology. The building contains both office space as well as ballrooms for large events on both the ground floor and the top floor.



History
Once the printing facility of J. Ottmann Lithographing Company and Puck Magazine, which ceased publication in 1918, the building later housed numerous independent printing firms and related printing services such as type setters and a printing ink company, Superior Printing Ink. The odor of printing ink permeated the building for many years. An office stationery company, S. Novick & Son, once occupied the second floor. Notable amongst the firms' salesmen was Alger Hiss, the former assistant Secretary of State who was brought down in a spy scandal in the 1950s.

In the 1980s the Puck Building was the home of Spy Magazine, whose editors informally dubbed it "The Spy Building". In the early 2000s, the building housed the Manhattan Center of Pratt Institute.

In popular culture

 * During Little Italy's annual Feast of St. Anthony, which takes place on Mulberry Street, strings of lights are strung from the building's Mulberry Street walls.
 * An exterior shot of the Puck Building is often seen on the popular American television sitcom Will & Grace, as the building where the title character Grace Adler (played by Debra Messing) works.