Designed by James Renwick—architect of Grace Church on Tenth Street and Broadway and St. Patrick’s Cathedral—these “three-decker” row houses stood at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 11th Street since 1855.
I’m not sure what connection they have to the Rhinelanders—an old New York family—but the family probably owned the land they were built on, hence the name.
Another Rhinelander real estate site is just around the corner on Seventh Avenue.
Berenice Abbott took the photo in 1937. Rhinelander Gardens only lasted another 20 years. Amazingly, the city tore them down (and their lovely front lawns and cast-iron balconies!) to build P.S. 41.
The school is very 1950s. The tenement apartment building on the far right, the Unadilla, still exists.
Lost New York, by Nathan Silver, published in 1967, has this to say:
“The setback fronts of the houses were the result of the imperfect match of the old Greenwich Village street pattern with the upper Manhattan grid. Some deep fronts can still be seen on 11th Street, but the Rhinelander row was demolished in the late 1950s.”
Tags: Grace Church, Greenwich Village old buildings, James Renwick, Nathan Silver Lost New York, P.S. 41, public schools in New York City, Rhinelander Gardens, Rhinelander Row, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Unadilla apartments
Ephemeral New York 
January 1, 2010 at 5:08 am |
“and their lovely front lawns”
yes this is something some streets in manhattan have, deep fronts (not lawns anymore afaik) to the buildings (walk-ups usually). it gives a comfortable feel, unlike the narrow sidewalks on most streets.
January 1, 2010 at 12:16 pm |
I think it’s on 18th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues that deep fronts appear on about 3 or 4 buildings. They’re on mid-block and are reminiscent of the ones you see in the Gramercy Park, 20th and Irving Place. You actually are struck by their oldness. I wonder if they’re still standing…
January 1, 2010 at 2:45 pm |
Here it is, found a picture
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9722248
January 2, 2010 at 3:32 am |
yeah, great find. there are also some in the west 20s. i agree about their old look.
January 2, 2010 at 11:51 pm |
Great photo, indeed. I’ve been meaning to do something on the front lawns of Manhattan homes; I’ll add it to the list.
October 13, 2010 at 12:35 pm |
The windows of the cafeteria overlooking the playground (on Greenwich Ave.) have a detail from Rhinelander Gardens–the remains of the lacy wrought iron facade discretely hidden under an overhang. A nice nod to the past!
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