Photos show New York City's million-dollar homes that were once horse stables
Some of New York City's modern-day residences used to house horses.
These homes that were once horse stables are known as mews; now, some are worth millions.
I walked down four streets lined with million-dollar mews and found an escape from the hustle of the city.
I visited four streets around New York City lined with horse stables that have been transformed into million-dollar homes.
In Manhattan, a cobblestone alley between Fifth Avenue and Macdougal Street is home to a line of mews that used to be an artist hub, The New York Times reported in 1994.
Source: The New York Times
In the early 20th century, sculptor Frederick Triebel stumbled upon a worn-down horse stable in MacDougal Alley and transformed it into a studio, according to The New York Times.
Source: The New York Times
Other artists followed, The New York Sun reported in 2006.
Source: New York Sun
"In the summertime, the doors of the studios are thrown open, and the artists' wives take their chairs on the clean, cemented court, while the children play in perfect safety around them," the Craftsman magazine said of MacDougal Alley in 1906, according to the New York Sun.
Source: New York Sun
Notable artists like Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney who later established the Whitney Museum lived in the former stables in the early 1900s, where small homes like this one are now worth millions, according to Zillow.
Source: Zillow
The stable Triebel transformed at 6 MacDougal Alley is now worth more than $4 million on Zillow.
Source: Zillow
Just a few blocks away, I found another street in Greenwich Village that used to house horses.
Around the corner off of Fifth Avenue, you'll find Washington Mews, a cobblestone street that looks like a "retreat" from the city, as The New York Times described it in 1988.
Source: The New York Times
The north side of the street is lined with two story buildings that used to be horse stables, according to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Source: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
By 1916, cars were becoming more popular and replacing horses and carriages, so Sailors' Snug Harbor, which owned the stables, transformed them into artist studios, according to The New York Times.
Source: The New York Times
The quaint street became an artist hub after that, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation reported.
Source: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
By 1949, Sailors' Snug Harbor leased the space to New York University, according to the same source.
Source: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
These artist dwellings are now worth millions. This two-bedroom home is likely worth just under $8 million, according to Trulia.
Source: Trulia
Head to Brooklyn for more mews in Cobble Hill. To get there, take the F or G train to Bergen Street Station.
A few blocks away, you'll find Verandah Place. The street sign is slightly hidden under a tree.
Across the street from the sign, you'll find the mews on Verandah Place next to Cobble Hill Park.
Some of the mostly three-story buildings you'll find there were originally built as horse stables in the 20th century, while others were built as cottages, according to Untapped Cities. Now, they're all residences.
Source: Untapped Cities
The street is only 20 feet wide and 1.5 blocks long, the same source reports.
Source: Untapped Cities
Some homes on this street are worth millions, according to Zillow.
Source: Zillow
Trees from the adjacent park shade most of the street.
For more Brooklyn mews, you can take the 4, 5, 2, 3, or R trains to Borough Hall station.
Source: Insider
A short walk away from the subway station, you'll find Hunts Lane off of Henry Street between Joralemon Street and Remsen Street.
Once home to horses, according to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the dead-end street is rooted in history.
Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
In 1944, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle described the quaint block as "a little bit of New England in Brooklyn Heights."
Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Back then, families, artists, writers, and police horses lived on Hunts Lane, according to the same article.
Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
A mother who said she lived on the street in 1944 told The Brooklyn Daily Eagle that year that the neighborhood's residents were very close, and families helped one another.
Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
"The policemen's horses are stabled over here and the children have a marvelous time watching them at the changing of the guard," the resident told The Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1944.
Source: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Today, those carriage houses are luxury apartments and multimillion-dollar homes, as Brownstoner reported.
Source: Brownstoner
When I wandered down the dead-end street, it was quiet and seemingly empty.
If not for lights turning on and off in the windows showing signs of life, I would have thought the street had been abandoned.
I usually feel rushed walking on most Brooklyn streets, but Hunts Lane was so calm and peaceful. I felt like I was at a private museum viewing works of art.
I got a close look at some of the expensive homes, like a condo at 8 Hunts Lane, which is estimated to be worth more than $4 million, according to Zillow.
Source: Zillow
This stunning red-brick carriage house at the beginning of the block is 4 Hunts Lane. It's a modern $6.5-million home with a garage and basement, according to 6sqft.
Source: 6sqft
While the carriage houses are all roughly the same shape, different paint jobs and details make each one look unique.
Some houses look like they are being reclaimed by nature with greenery lining the exteriors.
Visiting all four streets made me feel like I was stepping out of the city for a second, and that was the coolest part.
Read the original article on Insider
