Documenting the History and Significance of 121 Charles Street, the West Village's "Cobble Court" Farmhouse
 Like many others, GVSHP was shocked earlier this year when the West Village's venerable "Cobble Court" Farmhouse at 121 Charles Street (at Greenwich Street) -- also known as the Margaret Wise Brown House, for the author of Goodnight Moon who lived and wrote there -- was advertised for sale for $20 million and as a potential "blank canvas...for development."
Concerns about the house's imminent demise, however, may have been greatly exaggerated; the house is located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and thus no changes can be made to it without undergoing a rigorous public review and approval process, subject to the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Since the house was first advertised for sale and the ensuing outcry which followed, the reference to the "blank canvas" has been removed, and there has as of yet been no sale and no application for alterations, demolition, or construction. However, that may change at some point in the future.
In light of this, GVSHP has been gathering information documenting the incredible history of this wooden house, and its unlikely rescue from the wrecking ball in 1967 and relocation from the Upper East Side to Greenwich Village. The preservation of the house and its arrival at this site was truly one of the great preservation success stories from the decade which kicked off the modern preservation movement, and integral to the history of Greenwich Village.
Using first-person accounts, interviews with the family involved with the saving and relocation of the house, and voluminous research, GVSHP has captured Cobble Court's many lives and many layers of history, irrefutably detailing its unique and irreplaceable significance. Read the report HERE.
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