Washington Mews is a private gated street in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

between Fifth Avenue and University Place just north of

Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...

. Along with MacDougal Alley and

Stuyvesant Street Stuyvesant Street is one of the oldest streets in the New York City borough 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 bo ...

, it was originally part of a Lenape trail which connected the Hudson and

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

Rivers,, pp. 5 & 67 and was first developed as a

mews A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...

(row of stables) that serviced horses from homes in the area. Since the 1950s the former stables have served as housing, offices and other facilities for

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

History

Washington Mews is on land that in the 18th century was part of a large farm owned by Capt. Robert Richard Randall; upon Randall's death, he bequeathed the land to what became known as

Sailors' Snug Harbor Sailors' Snug Harbor, also known as Sailors Snug Harbor and informally as Snug Harbor, is a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings on Staten Island, New York City. The buildings are set in an park along the Kill Van K ...

. The institution leased the land, using the resulting income to establish its Staten Island complex; the homes built on the land along the north side of Washington Square and the south side of Eighth Street came with two-story stables built along what became known as Washington Mews. The private stables were used by the families of men such as Richard Morris Hunt,

John Taylor Johnston John Taylor Johnston (April 8, 1820 – March 24, 1893) was an American businessman and patron of the arts. He served as President of the Central Railroad of New Jersey and was one of the founders of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Early life Joh ...

, and Pierre Lorillard. In 1881, New York City's

Department of Public Works This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

ordered the construction of Washington Mews first gates at each end, in an apparent attempt to distinguish the Mews from public streets. In 1916, Sailors' Snug Harbor had a dozen of the stables remodeled into artist studios, designed by Maynicke & Franke; during the 20th century, artists living there included Paul Manship,

Gaston Lachaise Gaston Lachaise (March 19, 1882 – October 18, 1935) was a French-born sculptor, active in the early 20th century. A native of Paris, he was most noted for his female nudes such as '' Standing Woman''. Gaston Lachaise was taught the refinement o ...

, and later

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, ...

. Around 1950,

leased most of the entire property and gradually converted the buildings along the Mews into offices and faculty housing. In 1988, NYU hired architect Abraham Bloch to design a new six-foot-high Fifth Avenue gate, replacing the simple posts-and-chain used since the studios were built.

Gallery

File:Entrance in Greenwich Village Historic District.jpg, No. 3-10, built in 1939 File:NYU Institue of French Studeies 15 Washington Mews New York City, May 2014 - 006.jpg, No. 15, built before 1854 File:NYU - La Maison Française (51661213600).jpg, No. 16, built in 1880 File:NYU - Deutsches Haus (51660569883).jpg, No. 42, built before 1854 File:Washington Mews 03.JPG, No. 64, built in 1941

References

Notes

External links

* {{Manhattan streets, state=collapsed Streets in Manhattan New York University Gated communities in New York (state) Greenwich Village