What makes a New York townhouse?
Townhouses are living pieces of New York’s history. Clustered in a couple of the city’s neighbourhoods – particularly the Upper East Side, and Clinton Hill and Boerum Hill in Brooklyn – they make excellent family homes, inspiring envy among apartment-dwellers across the city. Apart from space, privacy and spectacular facades, they also have an array of coveted interior features and flourishes.
Step outside
A private garden is one of the many rare treasures of a New York townhouse, as is being able to step into it through elegant French windows. See a fine example at East 74th St.
A warm welcome
Fireplaces are people magnets. Whether functioning or not, we congregate around them – and many New York townhouses count hearths among their best original features. Here’s one at 9th Street..
Wood works
From honey to walnut, wooden flooring is steeped in character yet provides an inviting canvas for eccentric and tasteful furnishings. One of our favourites is at Bond Street Townhouse.
Going into detail
As well as decorating structural features, mould-work gives insight into a building’s history: it's a glimpse of the original owner’s taste for European-style interiors. See some cornicing at West 22nd Townhouse.
On the up
There’s nothing quite like ‘vertical living’, as New Yorkers call it – having the mental and physical space of a townhouse. And the townhouse’s enduring emblem? The staircase. There’s an exquisite set at Jane Street.
The areas where you’ll find New York’s brownstone townhouses are cultured and characterful – like the homes themselves. Whether you’re fresh from a Brooklyn deli or on your way to a Michelin-starred restaurant on the Upper East Side, you’ll spot plenty of these New York icons. The latter area is on the edge of Central Park, and a great spot for families. Across the water in Brooklyn, the neighbourhoods of Clinton Hill and Boerum Hill are famous for their vintage markets and picnic spots with spectacular views across Manhattan.