House at 51 Market St.
Why it's listed
Built in 1824-25 on the west side of Market Street, between Monroe and Madison Streets in Manhattan, this townhouse is a surviving example of late Federal domestic architecture. William Clark was listed as the original owner, though he did not live there. The deeply recessed front doorway has a moulded elliptical stone arch, a console keystone, a leaded glass fanlight and sidelights, and the inner vestibule doorway repeats many of these elements. Original window lintels with central panels and rosettes, rusticated basement quoins and wrought iron stoop railings also remain. Inside, the original staircase, two parlors with carved entablatures, and a carved wooden mantelpiece with paired Ionic pilasters survive. Two upper floors were added later in the nineteenth century, replacing an original pitched roof. The house was listed because few Federal-period houses in New York remain as intact, and its doorway is one of the few of its era left in the city.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent example of a late Federal New York townhouse, with one of the few remaining doorways of that period in the city. It keeps a wealth of refined original decorative features, and few Federal houses remain as intact. It is described as a yardstick for judging other houses of the period.
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 77000959, listed July 29, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 51 Market St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | July 29, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000959 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1824-25 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a privately owned, occupied cooperative residence in fair condition and altered; two upper floors were added later in the nineteenth century, and a kitchen and lavatory were added at the rear. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Two Bridges Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.71191, -73.99449 (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 77000959.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2893326
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.