A short walk south from Christopher to 7th Avenue on Barrow Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. Bedford Street Doors are for Norm’s Thursday Doors, April 28.
A door next to ps3:
100 Bedford Street or 17 Grove Street (NE corner of Bedford and Grove): House of William Hyde, window-maker, built 1822. Author James Baldwin frequently stayed here. “The most complete wooden frame house in Greenwich Village”
SW corner of Grove and Bedford Streets.
95: Built as stables in 1894, later serving as a winery before becoming apartments in 1927. Alternate story by a local, “the building was actually built by J. Goebel & Company as a factory for crucibles–containers for holding molten glass”.
86: This unmarked door was the entrance to Chumley’s, a former speakeasy that never had an outside sign. A literary hangout for Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, O’Neill, Dos Passos, Faulkner, Anais Nin, Orson Welles, Edna St. Vincent Millay, James Thurber etc. And movie stars such as Humphrey Bogart would frequent this out of the public eye saloon. It evolved into a popular, cozy bar and restaurant; it can be seen in such films as Reds, Bright Lights, Big City, Wolfen and Sweet and Lowdown. Closed after a wall collapse in 2007 and has yet to reopen.
A short digression east on Commerce Street:
16 Commerce c. 1821: This old building has sagged alot. possibly due to the construction of 7th Avenue and the subway which cut through that section of Commerce Street.
23 Commerce: One of a row of Federal-style houses.
75 1/2 Barrow Street: Narrowest building in NYC. It fills in a former alley for carriages. Originally a cobbler’s shop and then a candy factory, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay lived here (1923-24), as did actors John Barrymore and Cary Grant.
70: Built 1807 by John Roome, sailmaker and court crier.
Source partly from http://www.nysonglines.com/bedford.htm
Great captures from a lovely street. It’s challenging to make photo excursions with a topic! 🙂
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Thank you. I find doors make great topics of history.
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Indeed! 🙂
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Looks like a smart street Sherry Lynn – like the first dark green door 🙂
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It is. Thanks for having a look.
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I enjoyed the skew on the door at # 16 Commerce street! I appreciate the innovation of the craftsmen who keep it functioning. It can’t be easy.
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I agree.
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75 1/5, how I love this!
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Cute isn’t it.
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Another excellent tour of lovely historical doors. I have to vote for the skinny building in the former alley. 🙂
janet
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Thank you. The skinny building is popular with tourists.
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I love all those fabulous shutters on the white wooden house.
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Thank you for another wonderful historic tour. Love your door series.
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You’re welcome.
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95 takes the cake! But I do love the 1/2 — the way you got them all in a row, with the uneven levels, I just love the composition of that particular photo. Great door share 🙂
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Thanks
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I could swoon over these photos. Makes you want to live in the Village. I remember dining at Chumley’s, probably in the later 60’s. I don’t think it was all refurbished at that time.
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thanks
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Great selection again this week. The map is a nice touch too.
I couldn’t help but fall in love with 100 Bedford. And that sagging one; what can I say? I have a soft spot for old places in need of some TLC.
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Thanks Norm. I love the sagging doorframe too. I used Lightroom for the map. I like to geo-reference my photos.
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These are all so neat! They sure don’t make doors like they used to. I think they used to represent a grand event.. walking through one. Now folks are more interested in what’s behind them.
Great map 😉
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Thanks. The map was created in Lightroom. Geo referenced photos appear in the map.
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Great finds!
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