Little Singer Building

The Little Singer Building at 561 Broadway stands as an experimental masterpiece by architect Ernest Flagg, completed in 1903. While it is now a residential and commercial cooperative, it was originally built to serve as the headquarters for the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Its design was revolutionary for the time because it utilized a steel-frame skeleton to hold up the structure, which allowed for massive, light-filled windows that were previously impossible in heavy masonry construction. This choice effectively forecasted the modern glass-curtain-wall skyscrapers that would dominate the Manhattan skyline decades later. The building is distinguished by its intricate wrought-iron balconies and terracotta panels, which feature unique, varying designs on every floor. If you look closely at the Prince Street side of the building, you can still see the cast-iron lettering that identifies the original occupant, the Singer Manufacturing Company, which is the last remaining external trace of its original purpose.