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75 1/2 Bedford Street
75 1/2 Bedford Street
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75-1/2 Bedford Street.

Notation on the back of print reads: "This is reputed to be the smallest house in Greenwich Village - merely 10' wide. Edna St. Vincent Millay & John Barrymore lived there.

1948

75 1/2 Bedford Street

75-1/2 Bedford Street.

Notation on the back of print reads: "This is reputed to be the smallest house in Greenwich Village - merely 10' wide. Edna St. Vincent Millay & John Barrymore lived there.

IMAGE DATE1948
FromVillage Preservation logoVillage Preservation

75-1/2 Bedford Street, July 1948.

With a facade of only nine and a half feet wide, 75 1/2 Bedford Street is the narrowest house in New York City. The interior space is even cozier, at its widest, 8 feet 7 inches, and at its narrowest, only 2 feet. Some sources suggest it was constructed in 1873 on what was a former carriage entranceway, while others believe the narrow home dates to earlier in the century.

In the late 19th century the building was home to a cobbler's shop and candy factory. In 1923 the building was leased (with its surrounding neighbors) by a group of artists and actors, who established the Cherry Lane Theatre around the corner. Poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay and her husband moved into the building in 1923 and only stayed a year. During their tenure, the building, which was constructed in a typical Italianate style with a cornice at the top, was renovated. Architect Ferdinand Savignano installed a skylight and made the top floor a studio for Millay. The original cornice was removed, and a small Dutch stepped gable was added (possibly as a reflection of the Dutch heritage of Millay's husband). According to numerous accounts, the house also was the residence (however briefly) to cartoonist William Steig, his sister-in-law anthropologist Margaret Mead, and actors John Barrymore and Cary Grant.

The building was purchased in 1952 by a Greenwich Village local (saving it from redevelopment) and sold and renovated a number of times since the mid-1990s. It was sold in 2013 for $3.25 million.

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