9. Macdougal-Sullivan Gardens

Macdougal-Sullivan Gardens, a historic district a bit south of Washington Square Park, has a central, communal courtyard for residents of the vibrantly colored townhouses lining the block along Sullivan and MacDougal Streets between Bleecker and Houston. Specifically, it consists of house numbers 74–96 MacDougal Street and 170–188 Sullivan Street.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission says that upon seeing the houses and garden, visitors may feel themselves being “transported back to a mid-Nineteenth century street scene.” And that’s a fact.

The district consists of 22 homes built in Greek Revival style between 1844-1850. The district owes its survival to businessman William Sloane Coffin, who bought the houses in 1922 to save old, single-family houses in the area. The houses were redone in a neo-Federal style, and the interior garden was created for residents, which have included several celebrities.