THE LAFAYETTE HOBGOBLIN

The Puck Building occupies the block bounded by Lafayette, Houston, Mulberry and Jersey Streets. It was built in 1885, expanded in 1893, and until 1918 was the printing facility of Puck Magazine. The building now contains office space as well as ballrooms for large events on both the ground floor and the top floor. This example of Romanesque Revival architecture features two gilded figures of Shakespeare's character "Puck" as part of the facade.

In the 1980's it was the home of Spy Magazine, whose editors informally dubbed it "The Spy Building and since 2004 has been home to New York University's Wagner Graduate of Public Service and department of Sociology. 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 works.

An office stationery company, S. Novick & Son, once occupied the second floor, and notable amongst the firms' salesmen was Alger Hiss, the former assistant Secretary of State who was brought down in a spy scandal in the 1950's which brings to mind 'Puck's' words from Midsummer Nights Dream Act 3, Scene 2, "Lord what fools these mortals be!"