131 Charles Street is a

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

townhouse on Charles Street and near

Greenwich Street Greenwich Street is a north–south street in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It extends from the intersection of Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth Avenue and Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, Manhat ...

in the West Village neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. ''See also:'' The red brick

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

two-story-over-raised-basement townhouse with a dormer attic was built in 1834 by David Christie, a stone cutter, for about $2,600. The brick is laid in the Flemish bond pattern. "These residences of the 1820s were almost all builder's, carpenter's, or stonemason's homes, and there were several blocks of them at one time. in 1899 Montgomery Schuyler, the critic, wrote that they were 'the most respectable and artistic pattern of habitation New York has ever known.'" The house was listed April 19, 1966, as a New York City Landmark. The structure retains all original window frames and lintels (except in the dormers)Landmarks Preservation Commission LP-0212
/ref> At least until 1971, when the property was nominated to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, the trim was white and many original interior features of the house remained. Some minor exterior changes were made during the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

period. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 for its architecture. From 1959 to 1968, the photographer Diane Arbus lived in the former stable behind the main house at 131 Charles St. The address of the back house is 131½ Charles St.

References

External links

*
Forgotten NYNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission report, April 19, 1966
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York, state=collapsed Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Houses completed in 1834 Federal architecture in New York City Houses in Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan West Village Greenwich Village 1834 establishments in New York (state)