House at 17 West 16th Street
Why it's listed
Built about 1846, this brick townhouse at 17 West 16th Street in Manhattan is a Greek Revival house with a bow front and stone trim. It was one of nine houses planned by Edward S. Mesier, who intended West 16th Street near Union Square to be a first-class residential street. Only four of the nine survive. Bow fronts were far more common in Boston than in New York, and few examples remain here. Notable features include the Greek Revival entranceway, a cast-iron balcony with Italianate motifs, a black-and-white marble foyer floor, and a curved staircase beneath a stained-glass skylight. The house served as a private residence for decades. In 1930 Margaret Sanger moved her Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau into it, and the clinic stayed until 1973. Her work in family planning gives the building national significance beyond its architecture. It has since been converted back to a single-family home and remains in excellent, largely original condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a rare surviving bow-front Greek Revival townhouse in New York City and a reminder of the once-fashionable Union Square neighborhood. It also claims national significance because it housed Margaret Sanger's Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau from 1930 to 1973.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83001730, listed May 26, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 17 W. 16th St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | May 26, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001730 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (houses planned and probably built by Edward S. Mesier) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition, largely unaltered and occupied as a one-family private residence again after earlier conversions. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.73775, -73.99351 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83001730.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6759870
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.