The Public Theater building

The story

One of the first buildings the city ever designated a landmark, this brick-and-stone structure at 425 Lafayette Street was built in three stages across nearly thirty years, its wings added so carefully that later architects matched the original design almost seamlessly. John Jacob Astor founded the library; his son William built it. Alexander Saeltzer drew the plans in 1854, and two more architects followed his lead. Since 1967 it has been the Public Theater, with six stages folded into the original bones — including the old double-height reading room, still in use.