Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District

Located on the southwestern edge of Greenwich Village, the district was formerly the site of the Richmond Hill Mansion. Built in 1767, this house was used as a headquarters by George Washington during the Revolutionary War and then later as the mansion of Vice President John Adams. The estate eventually came under the ownership of Aaron Burr, who had the property divided into lots for future development in 1797. When Burr was forced to leave the city in 1804 after his duel with Alexander Hamilton, further subdivision of the land was put on hold. John Jacob Astor soon took over the property and began developing the area in 1817; the mansion was relocated and used as a theater, and the land was leveled. Thanks to Astor's hold over the land and its development, the houses erected during this period display unusual architectural harmony.

The streets and buildings that comprise the Charlton-King-Vandam district are all that remain of a city plan that was created in 1797, and almost entirely developed between 1820-29. The area contains the largest and most well preserved groupings of Federal townhouses on Vandam and Charlton Streets, as well as significant Greek Revival, Roman Revival, Anglo-Italianate, and later buildings. These houses, which retain many of their original steps, entrances, roofs, dormers, and ironwork, were originally bought by merchants, lawyers, and builders. Many were kept within the same families for generations, explaining their remarkable state of preservation. ©2014