New York Daily Photo Analytics

Friday, December 01, 2006

Milligan Place

Of all the small alleys and courtyards in Manhattan, Milligan Place can perhaps be most easily missed with its small gateway sandwiched between two buildings on 6th Avenue near 10th Street in the Village. The four buildings in this cul-de-sac were built in 1852 as second-class boarding houses for waiters (primarily Basque) working at the nearby Brevoort House hotel. The land was purchased from the large Peter Warren estate in 1799 by Samuel Milligan, who built a home here. After his death in 1852, the house was replaced by the four row houses we now find here. Originally, Milligan Place was entered from Skinner Road (later named Christopher Street). In time, of course, these types of enclaves caught the fancy of the bohemian artists and later became gentrified. The cofounder of the Provincetown Players, George Cram Cook, and his wife, playwright Susan Glaspell lived here from 1913-17. Eugene O'Neill lived here as well. In 1963, an attempt to tear the buildings down (and those in nearby Patchin Place) was thwarted by a community group led by Ed Koch. Milligan Place is not so much charming for its architecture but rather for the peaceful oasis in the city it represents and that passersby may long for ...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting little nook.

Why no theme photo today?

Brian Dubé said...

It's one of those interesting little throwbacks.
Brian

Anonymous said...

Some famous residents.

Anonymous said...

Very charming place !
I left a number of comments on previous posts, realise I hadn't visited since the outdoor cafe table with wet leaves so I missed your extraordinary post on the Barbie dolls dressed in fur. FANTASTIC FIND !

Kate said...

I can understand the draw. It's a lovely little spot, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

:)
interesting information.i read the history of your city.
:))
in shanghai, there are lots of beautiful buildings,like this one, full of stories. But people here dont realize to protect them. most of them dont look so tidy and cosy. so pity!!

have a nice weekend.

jing
www.shanghaidailyphoto.com

Anonymous said...

I have lived here since 1969. I am blessed.

Anonymous said...

Ed Koch may have had something to do with the victory over the Duells but Doris Diether, Carol Janeway, Ruth Wittenberg and a whole group of tireless women actually worked to save it.
In my research, Koch low on list.