Greenwich Village
is the part of New York visitors fall in love with, enticing them to want to be a part of it. While its Beatnik days of Bob Dylan, counterculture, and cheap apartments have all but come and gone, traces of its rich history remain alive thanks to policies that have kept some lucky long-time locals in place while preserving the look and feel of the area.
Simply named 181 MacDougal, sales officially launched this week for the 16-unit apartment building in the heart of the neighborhood. Given its desirable location, prices are unapologetically high, starting at $2.525M for its one- to three-bedroom residences.
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While the Village's storefronts have changed from bookstores, nightclubs, and gothic-themed shops to luxury and utilitarian stores, much of the area's historic milieu and human scale remains intact as the area is largely protected within historic districts overseen by the city's pioneering Landmarks Preservation Commission, established in 1962. Additionally, dedicated stewards and preservation organizations like the Historic Districts Council (HDC)and Village Preservation help ensure new additions and alterations mesh with or enhance the area's irreplaceable charm and character.
Fortunately, in light of the city's housing crisis, there are still some dispensable buildings within these historic districts. In 181 MacDougal's case, a pair of undistinguished one-story structures at the southwest corner of 38 West 8th Street and 179-181 MacDougal Street were replaced by a seven-story condominium building designed by Morris Adjmi Architects.
The new building appears as though it consists of two structures, each built at least a century ago. The thoughtfulness and familiarity in this design helped the project gain approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2019. A rarity in new development today, 181 MacDougal promises to contribute to the engaging and stimulating environment of the Village. The differing facades convey a sense of permanence and quality, with intricate brickwork, inset windows with lintels and detailed surrounds, and small-scale storefronts at street level.
181 MacDougal's storied site lies across the street from the old 8th Street Bookshop, where Bob Dylan was introduced to Allen Ginsberg in 1964. While the 19th-century building remains, the retail tenant is now a Stumptown coffee shop.
Until 2020, 181 MacDougal's site was home to two single-story buildings. The dark-colored West 8th Street building housed the body piercing shop Cassiopeia
, while 179 MacDougal held the dry cleaning business "Splendid Cleaners." Before that functional service, the building was home to a long list of nightclub establishments that included a Latin dance club called Bon Soir, a gay club named Le Jardin, a bar called W 8th, and a cabaret known as Bon Soir, where Barbra Streisand and Woody Allen performed as unknowns.
181 MacDougal is set for occupancy in the first quarter of 2025. Although the structure has fully risen to about 90 feet tall, the exterior remains wrapped in construction netting as of earlier this summer. Renderings and drawings show that the building will have two distinct facades: one in red brick interrupted by horizontal expanses of windows, and the other in buff brick with oversized multi-pane picture windows.
The development will spread 16 new for-sale apartments, in one- to three-bedroom configurations across seven floors. Sales are being led by Corcoran Sunshine, who explains the interiors will be timeless, bright, and modern—very much in line with the growing number of works from Morris Adjmi Architects.
(Renderings of 181 MacDougal Street via Corcoran Sunshine)
—Morris Adjmi,
A singular three-bedroom penthouse will crown the building, providing as much private outdoor space as indoor space, according to the marketing materials. Thanks to the area's human-scale nature, even at just 80 feet above the street, its lucky owner will enjoy rich views of the Village and the Manhattan skyline.
Despite its boutique size, the pet-friendly building will offer a full suite of amenities, including a full-time doorman and concierge, a resident manager, a library lounge, and a fitness studio designed by The Wright Fit. More practical perks include a dog washing room, laundry room, resident storage (available at an additional cost), bike storage, and a package room—since more of us are opting for Amazon over the mom-and-pop shops that once gave the neighborhood its vibrancy.
181 MacDougal shows that we can still build quality urban environments, and that the future of a growing city doesn't need to completely transform into something like Court Square in Long Island City to meet housing demands. However, given the high demand to live in places like these, a sea change in how we build cities would be required—replacing parking lots with storefronts, lawns with stoops, and highways with subways. We're not holding our breath, which is likely why Village prices have become pearl-clutching high and why so many locals remain committed to preserving historic human-oriented places in the Village and beyond.
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