4. 555 Hudson Street, 1947 – 1968
Jane married Robert at her family home in Pennsylvania. While walking the streets of Greenwich Village, the couple came across 555 Hudson Street, then a “dilapidated building,” writes Flint who says that renovating the house became a “labor of love” for them. Above a candy store, 555 Hudson Street is where Jacobs wrote her seminal book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Jacobs’ two children were also raised here.
As we noted in our 2010 article, the retail at 555 Hudson Street had become a store called Glassybaby (no longer open). From our research then, as early as 1922, the address was listed in the New York Times as a “three-story brick store and dwelling,” suggesting that it may have been built for mixed-use. The building appears to have been part of an estate and passed through a few hands until Jacobs and her husband bought the place in 1947 for $7000. In 1946, it was assessed at $8500 so the Jacobs got a great deal on it. In 2020, Village Preservation unveiled a plaque at the site that honors Jacobs’ residency.
In 1968, Jane Jacobs moved to Toronto partially in protest to the Vietnam War. 555 Hudson Street was sold in 2009 for $3.3 million. Also in 2009, the street was given the honorary name “Jane Jacobs Way,” in honor of her.
Next, read about 5 things we can blame on Robert Moses
