CityRealty Insider > Historic New York City

Historic New York City

AUGUST 28, 2008

In the Old Country: Historic and hidden city sights
It’s hard to imagine, but Manhattan was once a maze of barns, houses and cobblestone streets, with horses’ hooves providing the steady din comparable to today’s taxi horns. As a reminder, 19th century carriage houses or backhouses, as they are known, remain as the hidden gems of the city’s West Village. Built as stables, servants' quarters and shops–like the 1827 stucco building at 93 Perry Street–these backhouses are some of the city’s most unusual properties. Approxmately 75 still remain standing below 14th street and west of Broadway.

Further uptown, on 46th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, an address known as Clinton Court functioned as a stable on the DeWitt Clinton estate, built in the early 1800's. Jefferson Market Garden is another breath of historic country air in the middle of Greenwich Village. For out-of-town guests, the 1871 House provides a quiet haven from the big city in an historic building on the Upper East Side, with rooms furnished in the country manor manner.

But reminders of our greener past have an uphill battle for survival in today’s metropolis. Alexander Hamilton’s country house couldn’t even put down roots in its first home on Convent Avenue. Real estate realities led to the homestead’s move (yes, they moved the house) to a more pastoral spot in St. Nicholas Park.

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