7. Turtle Bay Gardens Historic District, Manhattan

Turtle Bay Gardens Historic District-NYC-E 29th-E 30th Street-3rd Avenue-2nd Avenue

This unique development was the brainchild of Charlotte Martin, a descendant of the Dutch settlers. She brought 20 run down houses in 1919 and remodeled them, creating a shared garden esplanade between them. A copy of the fountain in the Villa Medici sits in this garden. Charlotte’s personal house had a grand ballroom with 22 foot high ceilings and a private garden.