Designated September 11, 1984
Public Bath Number 7 is a survivor of what was once the largest system of public baths in the world. The bath system was an outgrowth of the tenement reform movement. The classical style chosen for many of these buildings, of which this is an especially flamboyant example, equated the bathhouses stylistically with banks, libraries, and other important public institutions. Architect Raymond F. Almirall’s signature use of color appears in the terra cotta ornament of the building, much of which has aquatic themes.
STATUS Designated Individual Landmarks
The Neighborhood
Gowanus
In its day, the Gowanus Canal was the center of industrial growth in Brooklyn and remains a spectacular piece of commercial infrastructure. It was the main reason that Brooklyn transformed from farmland to an industrial giant in the latter half of the 19th and early...
Explore the Neighborhood >