Silk Building

Silk Building sits a few blocks south of bustling Washington Square, occupying the same stretch of Manhattan where townhouses twist onto side streets. Fourteen East Fourth Street is home to this mid-block condominium complex—one of a handful of prewar apartment buildings that still hold court between Broadway and Lafayette.

The building fronts the sidewalk in quiet brick, its cornice peeking above neighboring storefronts and fire escapes. You can pass by on the way to a subterranean club or an East Village gallery and miss it entirely—except for the number. Inside, the lobby is simple: mail slots, two elevators, and doors that open straight into units sized between studios and three-bedrooms; balconies face the inner courtyard and peer over the brick party walls of neighboring tenements.

Call ahead before dropping by—(212) 777-6035—and you can get directions straight to the curb. They’ll confirm which entrance you need; deliveries usually come around the corner, at the service door on Bleecker Place.