Townhouses exist in all five boroughs, but Manhattan has some of the finest examples in neighborhoods like the West Village, Greenwich Village, Soho, Chelsea, Flatiron, and Gramercy. They represent a unique housing option in New York City—the rare private home. The term townhouse comes from across the pond in London, describing a place that a person of above average means kept “in town”, while their primary residence was in the country. It is used today to describe a wide array of row-houses, but no longer just as second homes for the wealthy.

Manhattan townhouses date back as far to the Civil War era or even earlier. They are frequently referred to as Brownstones when surfaced with the familiar reddish-brown finish that resembles the soft sandstone of the same name. This very soft Brownstone, quarried in upstate New York and transported by barge down the Hudson, turned out to not be a great building material. It was prone to spalling and relatively rapid deterioration. Many today are replaced with tinted stuccos, while others may be faced with limestone or simple brick. Although rare, some wood frame buildings still exist, and modern architectural expressions of the townhouse are being built where zoning and their scale makes sense.

Townhouses offer the charm and human scale of a different era—with the advantages of greater privacy, larger proportions, gardens, and backyards. They comprise some of the most sought-after luxury homes in the New York City market, even more so today as buyers seek the advantages of all they have to offer.