Been meaning to note this recent feature at 6sqft (h/t Bayou!) written by Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Berman takes us on a fun history lesson while searching for the oldest house in the West and East Village.
We'll cut right to the rather surprising answer — 44 Stuyvesant St. ... at 10th Street across from the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.
It was built in 1795 for Nicholas William Stuyvesant.
Per Berman:
The house has all the signature elements of a Federal-era (1790-1835) home, including a sloped roof, double dormers, and Flemish bond brickwork (bricks laid in alternating short and long configurations). There are a few more modern updates, including an artist’s studio window inserted in the early 20th century (more on that here) and a doorway of more recent vintage.
But while this house, unlike some of its competitors, does not have a fancy name or title attached to it, it is, in fact, the oldest house in the Village. But that’s not its only distinction; it’s also the oldest building in Manhattan still used as a residence. And it’s one of a very small number of 18th-century structures which survive in Manhattan – an exclusive list that includes Upper Manhattan’s Dyckman Farmhouse and Morris Jumel Mansion, both of which are now museums and no longer functioning residences.
Read the full article here.
I live near by and pass by several times a day. I alsways thought it a subtle beauty with a secret past. Now I know the secret - it's age. Wow! But I hope Berman hasn't put a target on it facade. The real estate industry would probably love to destroy it with 2 additional floor, a rooftop party space and a pool in the basement. Of course the LPC would aid and abet them. What a world... Huh... What a world...
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