In the 30s, the building suffered a modernization that stripped the dripping ornamentation from the cornice. The result, while modern for the time, now looks sad - it's the same effect as seeing an old friend sheared bald from chemotherapy. I don't know why they removed the ornamentation just 25 years into the building's life; it's possible that it had begun to rot and fall, and that always leads a landlord to strip the cornices bare. Perhaps the owners wanted to modernize the building to make it more viable in the Depression market. In any case, it's a loss.

You can still detect the hue of the original bricks if the light's right. Unfortunately, without the frame of the white terracotta, this looks like a rash.