At the corner of Sixth Avenue and Waverly Place is a 16-story apartment house, appropriately named The Waverly.
It has the beige-brick prewar elegance of many Village residences, but what stands out is the ornate two-story entrance.
Carved into the facade are reliefs of knights with swords on horseback, soldiers in helmets, and unicorns.
Why all the Medieval imagery?
It’s a nod to Waverley, the 1814 historical novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the Scotland Highlands that features lots of chieftains and castles.
The novel was extremely popular in the early 19th century. After Scott died in 1832, the street was named for him at the insistence of local residents.
Strange that they misspelled it though!
Tags: Sir Walter Scott, street name origins in New York City, Waverley novels, Waverly Place, Waverly Place street name origin, West Village prewar apartment buildings
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