Some buildings in New York City appear to be omnipresent. No matter where in the city you are, these buildings appear to follow you. Other buildings disappear just as quickly as they appeared. It might be because architecturally they are plain or perhaps, they are so slim that you didn’t even double take. Here, we explore five of Manhattan’s narrowest buildings.

1. 75 1/2 Bedford Street

Located in the Village, 75 1/2 Bedford Street is so narrow that apparently, it is not even worthy of a whole number. At 9.5 feet wide and 30 feet deep, the building is the narrowest building in the City. Cary Grant, John Barrymore, Edna St Vincent Millay, and William Steig, all called 75 1/2 Bedford Street home. The 1873 house sold for $2.175 million in 2010 and today, the news broke that it sold again for $3.25 million.

2. 164 East 37th Street

At 10 feet wide, 164 West 37th Street is a mansion compared to 75 1/2 Bedford Street. According to Scouting NY, it currently serves as the entrance and stairwell to another building located adjacent to it. Despite its small size, and current use, it was once a residential building and maybe will return to its roots some day.

3. 19 West 46th Street

Constructed in 1865, this 5-story building measures 12 1/2 feet across. The Second Empire-style building served as a boarding house throughout the nineteenth century. It once had a 12 1/2 foot twin at 17 West 46th Street, which was demolished around 1914. Today, the building houses a Turkish restaurant and salon.

4. 420 West 58th Street

420 West 58th Street is a four story, 12.5-foot wide single family townhouse which was constructed in 1910.  420 West 58th Street is quite charming as a result of its architectural embellishments. Scouting NY pointed out that it is so small that Google Maps neglected to include it.

5. 143 East 62nd Street

Tender Buttons, a store which only sells buttons currently occupies the ground floor of the narrow brick building. Constructed in 1910, with a width of 12.6 feet, the narrow interior houses countless buttons ranging from the 17th century to the present day and is one of the narrowest buildings in Manhattan open to the public.

Check out also the narrow shops of Columbus Avenue. Have you noticed them before?