The oldest house in the West Village is on the market for $12 million. Dubbed the Isaacs-Hendricks House, the residence was built by a merchant named Joshua Isaacs as a freestanding home between 1799 and 1800–roughly 16 years after the British lost the Revolutionary War and the United States of America was born. It is one of Manhattan’s few surviving structures from that era.
The original wooden façade of the home reflects its Federal farmhouse roots while the brickwork later added in 1836 tells a story of its evolving design and resilience. Today, the once freestanding home sits solidly on the corner of Bedford and Commerce Streets, not too far from this 120-year-old townhouse, and is woven into the architectural and historical fabric of the West Village.
Harmon Hendricks, the son-in-law of Isaacs, purchased the home next and was an instrumental figure in early American industry. Hendricks and his brother-in-law, Solomon Isaacs, owned a copper mill and were NY agents to Paul Revere. They helped establish copper rolling, an essential trade for shipbuilding and rum production during the 19th century. The house remained in the family until the 1920s, when a group of local residents purchased the property to prevent it from being replaced by an apartment building, according to the Greenwich Village Historic District Report. That move proved pivotal, as it is still in its near-original form today.
Inside, the 3,000-square-foot residence radiates antique coziness courtesy of wide-plank yellow pine floors, six wood-burning fireplaces,, and sunlit parlor rooms. Reflecting the history of the home’s namesake residents, the current owner also added hand-forged copper accents, such as the range hood in the artsy chef’s kitchen.
Despite its age, the four-story townhouse is thoughtfully updated with modern features to make it liveable, including central air conditioning, a water filtration system, and new wood-framed windows. Mary A. Vetri of Brown Harris Stevens holds the listing.
