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Horsing Around the Village

One of the last horse-drawn trolley cars of the Bleecker St. and Broadway line in 1917. Image via NYPL.
One of the last horse-drawn trolley cars of the Bleecker St. and Broadway line in 1917. Image via NYPL.

By the turn of the twentieth century it is estimated that almost 75,000 horses and 4,500 stables could be found in New York City. Before the mass-adoption of the car and truck, horses played a vital role in the transportation economy of the city. Though today horses are largely absent from the city’s streets, their former stable homes can still be found, knit into the city’s architectural fabric and since re-purposed in many different ways.

Here are just a small sampling of the former stables that can be found around our neighborhoods:

704-06 Greenwich Street.
704-06 Greenwich Street.

The large four story 704-706 Greenwich Street building was constructed in 1892-93 to the designs of architect Julius Munckwitz. The building, with its brick and stone-clad façade, housed many commercial tenants (many early trucking firms) and it also contained a livery stable during its early years.

126-128 East 13th Street.
126-128 East 13th Street.

One of the grandest examples of equine architecture (and not just a stable) is the former Van Tassell & Kearney Horse Auction Mart at 128 East 13th Street. GVSHP mounted a six-year campaign to save this unique building, which in 2006 was threatened with demolition so that a seven-story condo could be built. The Horse Auction Mart was designed by the firm of Jardine, Kent & Jardine and constructed in 1903-04. Though it originally served as a horse auction mart that catered to New York’s elite families, the building has had an interesting post-horse history, which you can read about here.

129 Charles Street.
129 Charles Street.

This four-story ground-floor stable building at 129 Charles Street, which originally also housed wagon storage and an upper-story residential unit, was constructed in 1897 to the design of architect Henry Andersen.

23 Cornelia Street.
23 Cornelia Street.

23 Cornelia Street This stable building was designed by Charles B. Meyers in c. 1912. By 1925, it served as both a stable and a garage for automobiles.

15 Downing Street.
15 Downing Street.

This three-story Greek Revival stable building at 15 Downing Street was constructed between 1829 and 1832. In 1892 the building was converted into a stable with stalls for sixteen horses on the second floor and the doors were widened to accommodate wagons.

31-33 Great Jones Street.
31-33 Great Jones Street.

The grand stables at 31-33 Great Jones Street were constructed in 1870-71 for the private New York Board of Fire Underwriters (NYFBU), which the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission noted, was “founded for the purpose of protecting the contents of buildings from fire and water damage…the NYFBU had formed several patrols located throughout the city. Fire Patrol 2, established in 1855, moved into the three-story brick building at 31 Great Jones Street in 1873 and remained until 1907.” You can read more about another notable Fire Patrol building on West 3rd Street here.

2 responses to “Horsing Around the Village

  1. Farther afield, on East 119th Street between 2nd and 3rd, the north side of the street boasts a spectacular former stable with a number of protruding horse’s heads on the facade. It mirrors one that used to stand on Lexington between 24th and 25th, destroyed when Baruch College decided to build their “Vertical Monstrosity” – er, “Campus” on that entire block.

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