On one of the most picturesque corners in the city, where Commerce Street meets Barrow Street, are a matching pair of buildings: 39 and 41 Commerce Street. Click here for 2nd photo. Folklore has it that these two buildings were built by a sea captain for his two feuding daughters. In fact, they were built in 1832 as an investment by Peter Huyler, a milkman from Hackensack, New Jersey. A full third story under mansard roofs were added in 1873. What’s unusual is that this pair of buildings shares a very large garden (the entrance doorways are through the garden). One must remember, however, that at the time these were built, Greenwich Village was still a suburb of the city and that most of the houses in the area had small adjacent plots – land did not have quite the premium that it has today.

The origin of the street name is not clear, but there was never that much commerce – records show only a brewery, woodshop, and factory. Today there is the Cherry Lane Theatre, a restaurant and a bar. By the turn of the century, the area was already home to bohemians, artists, and writers. So, for those of us who bemoan having missed the boat regarding real estate opportunity, rest assured – the boat left quite some time ago…