Neighborhood Overview

Greenwich Village is a historic neighborhood in lower Manhattan known for its winding streets, Federal and Greek Revival rowhouses, and longstanding role as a center for progressive culture and the arts. The neighborhood stretches roughly from Houston Street to 14th Street, west of Broadway, and includes Washington Square Park and New York University's main campus.

Common Property Types

Low-rise rowhouses and townhouses (many landmarked), prewar walk-up and elevator apartment buildings, NYU institutional properties, and limited new construction. The housing stock is among the best-preserved in Manhattan.

Typical Building Ages

Many buildings date from the 1830s-1850s, making Greenwich Village home to some of Manhattan's oldest surviving residential architecture. Apartment buildings from the early 1900s fill in the larger lots.

Common Violations

Landmarks violations for unpermitted exterior modifications, facade maintenance on older buildings, construction violations related to high-end renovations, and occasional illegal conversion violations. NYU buildings generate institutional-scale violations.

Property Tax Information

Townhouses in Tax Class 1 with high market values but capped assessments. Co-ops and condos in Tax Class 2. Some of the most extreme gaps between market value and assessed value in the city due to the assessment cap system.

Zoning Information

Predominantly R6 and R7-2 residential with limited commercial overlays. Greenwich Village Historic District (one of the city's largest, designated 1969) heavily restricts new development and requires LPC review for all exterior changes.

Notable Developments

NYU's 2031 expansion plan continues to be controversial. Limited new development is possible due to the historic district, though interior renovations of existing buildings are constant.