
75½ Bedford Street - apollinaire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/75%C2%BD_Bedford_Street
======
PaulRobinson
As a child, I lived with my family for a few years on a traditional narrowboat
[1]. These are 6'10" across or less (the walls slope in a little inside) down
a length of between 20 and 70 foot, or 68 foot in our case.

Living in a small, narrow space is actually surprisingly easy. There were 4 of
us, and whilst it was difficult at times, most of the pressures were about not
being hooked up to infrastructure like running water, sewage and electricity.

Such spaces force a sense of minimalism that I think we've lost in the modern
World. The space many of us have is very luxurious in many ways.

This house looks lovely, and other narrow/slim houses linked here and from
Wikipedia to my mind look great.

I wonder why this style is not more popular given the inherent advantages
(i.e. running cost, less space to clean, etc.)?

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowboat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowboat)

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warpech
So a house number can be a fraction? That's something that should be added to
[https://www.mjt.me.uk/posts/falsehoods-programmers-
believe-a...](https://www.mjt.me.uk/posts/falsehoods-programmers-believe-
about-addresses/)

~~~
bnegreve
It would be nice to know what assumptions _can_ be made, instead of having an
ever increasing list of ones that cannot be made.

~~~
closeparen
None. The point of "falsehoods programmers believe about..." lists is that
"validation" of user attributes is an arrogant and inherently foolish concept,
and you shouldn't try.

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uptown
Here's the floorplan: [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/75-1-2-Bedford-St-
New-Yor...](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/75-1-2-Bedford-St-New-York-
NY-10014/31499134_zpid/?mmlb=g,13)

~~~
typest
That was way, way nicer than I thought it would be.

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PaulRobinson
For those wanting to see what it looks like inside, this video is nice:
[https://www.wsj.com/articles/grand-on-a-small-
scale-13796435...](https://www.wsj.com/articles/grand-on-a-small-
scale-1379643562?tesla=y)

Seems to me it's actually a pretty comfortable home if you don't have or need
a lot of stuff.

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tcgv
Interestingly enough this house front is blurred on Google Street view: \-
[https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7314243,-74.0048529,3a,75y,2...](https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7314243,-74.0048529,3a,75y,246.44h,88.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUWUhkH0hdi1DcB8ukP4OpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)

~~~
jermaustin1
So a homeowner is allowed to blur their property on Street View, but the
affects cannot be undone[1].

1: [https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Google-Street-
View...](https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Google-Street-View-blurred-
houses-14096605.php)

~~~
dfxm12
_" Once Google blurs an image, the effect is permanent,"_

What's not clear to me is if you can put in a request to not have future
images blurred (or if a new owner can make this request), or if you can blur
images of the property from before you bought it.

Apparently, the current owner of this house bought it in 2013, but Street View
has blurred out 2 images from before that. It's possible that the previous
owner wanted it blurred, too. Who knows?

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femiagbabiaka
If you enjoy this sort of architecture, I highly recommend this YouTube
channel:
[https://www.youtube.com/user/kirstendirksen](https://www.youtube.com/user/kirstendirksen)

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anonsivalley652
Speaking of fractional addresses, the original address of the Hidden Vine wine
bar was ½ Cosmo Place* in the alley behind Le Colonial. IIRC, the front was a
single doorway leading steeply down to a converted hotel basement containing a
very nice wine bar.

[http://www.vinography.com/archives/2007/06/san_francisco_win...](http://www.vinography.com/archives/2007/06/san_francisco_wine_bar_the_hid.html)
(620 Post Street is the Fitz Hotel on the other side/above it.)

It looks like another business is/was there (Barrel Room Wine Bar) and the
street number must have changed (2 instead of ½).

[https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7881276,-122.4120619,3a,15y,...](https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7881276,-122.4120619,3a,15y,225.17h,83.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJK_9h4XTXuzLHHNdAbUZ5A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192)

EDIT: * I just learned that ½ alone is, according to the USPS, an invalid
street number. They still used it anyhow.
[https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28ape_004.htm](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28ape_004.htm)

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null_turkey
This reminds me of the spite house located in Alexandria, VA. It was build in
the 1800s in order to prevent loiterers and wagons from passing through.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/travel/escapes/29away.htm...](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/travel/escapes/29away.html)

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lb1lf
Oh, we've got one like that, too! (In Aalesund, Norway) - Kongens gate 10b[0].

It measures 294cm towards the street - 9ft 8in. At one point there was a store
selling neckties on the ground floor. :)

[0]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/alesundkommune/14727521458](https://www.flickr.com/photos/alesundkommune/14727521458)

~~~
stephenc_c_
7.5ft wide one in London [0]

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vodatomejjI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vodatomejjI)

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jshprentz
Washington City Paper reported in 2003 on the history and challenges of 4 1/2
Street SW, 13 1/2 Street NW, 9 1/2 Street NW, and other half streets in
Washington, DC.

[https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13026197/ha...](https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13026197/half-
life)

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reljac
I work very close to the Pittsburgh skinny building (commercial, not
residential)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_Building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_Building).
For some reason it gets a full street number, no 1/2 address at all.

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dghughes
There's one in my city too:
[https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.248424,-63.1239587,3a,75y,182...](https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.248424,-63.1239587,3a,75y,182.84h,93.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7HVBKixF5PThSkTHYMXpnw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)

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scilro
Sold for 3.5 million in 2013. Undoubtedly worth more much now.
[https://streeteasy.com/building/75-and-a-half-bedford-
street...](https://streeteasy.com/building/75-and-a-half-bedford-street-
new_york#tab_building_detail=2)

~~~
oftenwrong
It is sad that even the relatively humble dwellings of the past are now
unobtainable for most people. Few artists can afford to live in such a place.

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sambeau
I have a friend who used to live at 44⅔ which was an old house broken into 3
flats

~~~
anonsivalley652
That is officially irrational and awesome.

(44.666...)

~~~
chhickman
Awesome yes... but definitely not irrational.

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jjav
Here's a ~5ft wide house in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-casa-
estrecha](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-casa-estrecha)

