A few years ago, I profiled these two buildings when they were looking a little tired. That said, they are nearly 200 years old, so a little wear and tear can be forgiven. They have recently undergone a restoration, so you can take a look at the before and after, or based on how this is displayed, the after and before. Their origin story will soundly oddly familiar to those of us who stayed in the city during the pandemic. In the early 1800s, Manhattan would regularly have yellow fever epidemics and, on a few terrifying occasions, cholera outbreaks. Those with the means to do so would flee the city to their second homes. In the 1820s, that meant going to the far north countryside known as the Village of Greenwich. That’s where, in 1827, Daniel Simpson would build these two houses at 18 and 20 Christopher Street. They were unique for their time and are still unique today because of their windows on the attic level. Most homes at the time might have an individual dormer for each window as opposed to these “mega” dormers. The plus side is it added another usable floor to the home. Around 1900, the first floor was converted into shops. For those less familiar with New York City geography, that tiny village of Greenwich would eventually turn into Greenwich and the West Village. They were landmarked as a part of the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29th, 1969.