NYC’s earliest known concrete building — a quirky billboard for stone manufacturers — has listed for $2.99M

The historic structure on the intersection of Third Street and Third Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn sticks out like a “stone” thumb. 

The Coignet Stone Company Building, newly on sale for $2.99 million, is the earliest known concrete building in New York City. It was constructed in the 1870s as a functional advertisement for its proprietors, the New York & Long Island Coignet Stone Company, with the very same patented cement stone the company was desperately trying to sell to New Yorkers.

The business did not survive the test of time, but their showroom — slash everlasting billboard of sorts — did.

The building’s broker, Erica Nieves of Corcoran, described the building’s current condition as “raw.”

“It definitely needs some TLC,” Nieves said. “But if you’re a person who knows the history of this, that knows that Gowanus is an artsy neighborhood, then you can see the potential.” 

The former showcase structure spans 2,360 square feet across three levels, and boasts some of the details expected of the city’s pre-war gems — soaring 13-foot ceilings, arched windows, a curving staircase and cornices. 

“I’ve passed this building for decades upon decades, and I know that a lot of people in the neighborhood have been vying for this building just to be restored,” Nieves said. And, indeed, that’s the experience of many — as the Gowanus Whole Foods Market very visibly hugs this historic structure that stands right on the corner. The thoroughfare is also a bridge between trendy Gowanus and quaint Carroll Gardens, meaning the building has long received hordes of passersby who regard it as a local landmark.

The Coignet Agglomerate Company of the United States was founded in 1869, according to a Brownstoner timeline of its history. Construction on its all-concrete offices and showroom began in 1872. The bright white stone was a stark departure from the borough’s typical brick and brownstone facades. 

The business, then renamed the New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company, filed for bankruptcy a short time later, in 1873. The building changed hands numerous times — and got an unfortunate makeover with brick cladding — before abandonment in the 1960s. 

The Coignet Stone Company Building’s current owner acquired it in 1992, according to city records. Attempted sales in 2013 for $3 million and in 2019 for $5 million were unsuccessful.

Although the exterior got a total, white-washed refresh in 2016, thanks to a pledge from its neighbor Whole Foods, the interior looks every bit the abandoned warehouse. 

The landmarked building’s zoning changed as recently as yesterday, according to Nieves. Instead of a mixed-use property, the building now only allows for businesses, like a restaurant, office or retailer.

The current sale coincides with an offer to lease the property, Nieves said. 

“Everybody, for decades, has gone by this building and wondered what’s inside,” Nieves said. “So to have a company take it over, whether it’s a restaurant, a shop where people can actually tour the space, would be phenomenal.”