78 Washington Place

also 78 West Washington Plce | Greenwich Village | built 1839

Open on the map4 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

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

  1. 1839

    Builder William Berwick completes twin Greek Revival houses at Nos. 15 and 17 Washington Place

    William W. Berwick, who started out as a mason and is now a builder, completes two identical brick Greek Revival houses at Nos. 15 and 17 Washington Place. No. 17 is later renumbered 78. The Berwick family lives in No. 17 while he keeps No. 15 and leases it out.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  2. 1871

    James Derrickson adds a mansard-roofed story to the house

    Paper manufacturer James T. Derrickson, who bought the house by 1869, has a mansard-roofed story added in 1871. A building trade journal describes the 24-foot-wide residence as a first-class dwelling. The change brings a touch of cutting-edge design to a house nearly 30 years old.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  3. 1895

    April 25

    Former assistant fire chief John McCabe, the house's owner, dies by suicide at his club

    John McCabe, a retired assistant chief of the Fire Department, owns the house and takes in boarders with his family. On April 25, the day before he is due to testify to a State Senate committee investigating corruption in the department, he goes to the Milholland Club, appears depressed, and shoots himself around noon.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

  4. 1919

    Poet Hart Crane briefly rents an apartment in the house

    In 1919 Hart Crane moves into No. 78 for a short time. His biographer notes the apartment is larger than any he had rented before and offers modern comforts, including a stove and running water. John McCabe, the son of the late owner, had converted the house into apartments in 1915.

    Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

Further reading

Nearby

All 518 buildings with stories in Greenwich Village