The four wood-frame houses at 7-13 Columbia Place were originally called "Cottage Row." A series of nine homes were built in the 1840s and of the original nine these four remain. In the late 1840s, these homes were occupied by the families of a milkman, a fur merchant, a painter, and a boat pilot at South Ferry. By the late 19th century, no. 9 was occupied by Michael Allen, a local Democratic politician who survived an assassination attempt by a disgruntled Republican opponent. Despite several questionable exterior alterations (in the photo from 1959 nos. 7, 9, and 13 are clad in asphalt shingles), the homes today likely look closer to their original design and construction than at any point in the last century.