Albert J. Hopper House

41 Bethune Street | West Village | built 1842

Open on the map5 entries

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

1. 1842

   Mason Albert J. Hopper builds a Greek Revival house at 41 Bethune Street

   No. 41 dates to 1842 and was the home of Albert J. Hopper, a mason who was probably also its builder. The brick house rises three stories above a low stoop, with cast-iron railings and an original door framed by paneled pilasters and sidelights. A restrained wood cornice with dentils finishes the front. The Landmarks Preservation Commission describes it as preserved in excellent condition.

   Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

2. 1921

   August 30

   A Bethune Street family buries its son, killed in action in France in 1918, from the house

   Joseph Gerald Carroll, a son of the household, was killed in action in France on October 16, 1918. His funeral was held in the house on August 30, 1921, after his remains came home. Two months later, as a memorial statue was unveiled in Abingdon Square on Gold Star Mothers' Day, a reporter interviewed his mother, Mary Carroll, in the low-ceilinged parlor.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

3. 1953

   Kinetic sculptor Len Lye and his wife Ann buy and rebuild 41 Bethune Street

   Len Lye, a New Zealand-born sculptor and filmmaker, and his wife Ann bought the house in 1953 after decades of Lynch family ownership and some decay. Ann stripped plaster to expose brick and uncovered the pine floors. The couple covered one floor in pigskin and held a "Bathroom Opening" party for friends when a special oak toilet seat was installed. Len painted murals on some walls.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

4. 1954

   A writer and educator lodging at 41 Bethune Street is called before the House Un-American Activities Committee

   Stanley Williams Moore, a writer and educator on a one-year sabbatical from Reed College, stayed briefly at the Lyes' house in 1953. The next year, according to the Daytonian account, he faced questions from the Committee on Un-American Activities. The account notes that liberal-leaning people were often targeted by the government in those years.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

5. 1956

   Len Lye runs a small film company, Direct Films, from the house while building kinetic sculpture

   By 1956 Len Lye had set up Direct Films, a small production company, at 41 Bethune Street. The house was also where, according to The New York Times, he returned to movable sculpture, becoming a known figure among kinetic sculptors. The Museum of Modern Art staged a recital of his moving works in 1961, and the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo gave him a solo show in 1965.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

Further reading

• The 1842 Albert J. Hopper House - 41 Bethune StreetDaytonian in Manhattan
• Then & Now photos: 41 Bethune StreetVillage Preservation: Greenwich Village Then & Now

Nearby

• Daniel H. Carpenter House39 Bethune Street | 5 entries
• William Dunning House749 Washington Street | 3 entries
• 35 Bethune Street2 entries
• 31 Bethune Street1 entry
• 123 Bank Street1 entry
• George Van Zile House29 Bethune Street | 3 entries

All 1,156 buildings with stories in West Village