Vanderbilt Hall

40 Washington Square South | also 136 MacDougal Street, 99 West 3rd Street, 250 Sullivan Street | Greenwich Village | built 1951

Open on the map3 entries

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1. 1947

   NYU proposes a law school on the site of 'Genius Row,' and neighbors protest

   In 1947 New York University proposed to put its law school, today's Vanderbilt Hall, on the block with Washington Square South on one side and Sullivan, West 3rd and MacDougal Streets around the others. Neighbors objected partly because the school would replace row houses and apartment buildings on the site, known as Genius Row, where Eugene O'Neill, Willa Cather, Adelina Patti and Theodore Dreiser had lived.

   “…known as “Genius Row,” home to famous people such as Willa Cather, Theodore Dreiser, Eugene O’Neill, and Adelina Patti…”

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

2. 1951

   NYU completes its law school, the first university building on Washington Square since 1894

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   Eggers & Higgins designed the law school's five-story neo-Georgian brick building, laid out in an H plan and finished in 1951. It was the first building the university had erected on Washington Square since its Main Building of 1894, which had replaced the original University Building of 1833-35. Community resistance to NYU's growth around the square continued for decades afterward.

   “…was the first building the university built on Washington Square since the Main Building was built in 1894.”

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

3. 1951

   Vanderbilt Hall is dedicated in neo-Georgian brick and limestone, named for Arthur T. Vanderbilt

   NYU's law school building was named for Arthur T. Vanderbilt; its cornerstone is dated 1950 and it was dedicated in 1951. The Flemish-bond brick walls have limestone trim and an arcaded walkway whose two blind arches hold dedicatory panels with bas-relief medallions. A Doric-columned entrance with a pediment gives it a Georgian look, set behind a raised landscaped courtyard.

   “Vanderbilt Hall, named for Arthur T. Vanderbilt was built to house the Law School of New York University.”

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

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All 518 buildings with stories in Greenwich Village