At the southwest corner of Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue, in front of the entrance to the Village Cigars store, there's a small triangular mosaic set into the sidewalk which reads "Property of the Hess Estate Which Has Never Been Dedicated for Public Purpose".

The land where the 500-square-inch mosaic lies was part of a larger property belonging to David Hess, where once stood a five-story residential building called the Voorhis Apartment. In 1910, the city decided to construct a new subway line and widen the streets, which meant demolishing nearly 300 buildings in the area. Voorhis Apartment was among the buildings slated for demolition.

Photo credit: Jason Eppink/Flickr