Map: Where to find rowhouses in the US and Canada

By Dan Malouff (Editorial Director) August 21, 2018

 

Here in Washington, DC, rowhouses are the city's most common housing type. But throughout most of the rest of the United States, they're comparatively rare. This map shows where you'll find them, and where you won't.

 

How the map came to be

 

To create the map, I created a publicly-editable Google Map and asked people to drop dots in any city they knew to contain urban rowhouses. Cities with entire neighborhoods full of rowhouses got a red dot, while cities with sporadic rowhouses but not entire neighborhoods got a grey dot.

 

The crowdsourced data is surely incomplete, and a tad subjective. Some cities with rowhouses are probably missing from the map, and some without may be incorrectly shown. And there could be some variation in what different respondants considered to be "neighborhoods full" versus "sporadic."

 

MORE:

https://ggwash.org/view/68771/map-where-to-find-rowhouses-in-the-us-canada

 

What is the benefit of rowhouses? What areas do they fit into best?

What is the benefit of rowhouses? What areas do they fit into best?

 

There are benefits associated with heating and cooling, and they also allow for great densities without building up. Check out this density:

 

What is the benefit of rowhouses?

 

Density at a human scale is one benefit. Also, while they could be ugly, they're usually attractive buildings, especially since most were built during a time when there was a lot of attention to detail. Combining the density with the detailed aesthetics, you can have a heavy concentration of varied (or repetitive but detailed) attractive structures, which adds up to a nice-feeling environment.

 

What areas do they fit into best?

 

Neighborhoods with narrow streets.

The list looks generally correct.  I'd argue they forgot Hamilton, Ontario and if the criteria is "neighborhoods full or rowhouses," then New Orleans should certainly be on there for the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods alone.

Are Cincinnati's "detached rowhouses" still rowhouses despite the fire-breaks between most of them? Cincinnati of course has bona-fide rowhouses but relatively few of the 19th-century housing stock seem to actually share walls, and OTR is mostly a tenement neighborhood, with the exception of a few streets here and there.

 

And then you can also wade into the discussion of whether "Columbus-style rowhouses" are true rowhouses since they're more of a walk-up apartment style than individual houses that share walls.

Are Cincinnati's "detached rowhouses" still rowhouses despite the fire-breaks between most of them? Cincinnati of course has bona-fide rowhouses but relatively few of the 19th-century housing stock seem to actually share walls, and OTR is mostly a tenement neighborhood, with the exception of a few streets here and there.

 

And then you can also wade into the discussion of whether "Columbus-style rowhouses" are true rowhouses since they're more of a walk-up apartment style than individual houses that share walls.

 

And now Cleveland's row homes scattered throughout Tremont, Duck Island, Ohio City, and Detroit Shoreway also seem to fall into some pseudo rowhome purgatory

^ Cleveland is not much of a row house city.  I wish we had more. 

^ Cleveland is not much of a row house city.  I wish we had more. 

 

Right, most of what we have is either in disrepair on the East side, or somewhat gimmicky. With the exception of these in Ohio City.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4877463,-81.7123371,3a,75y,99.99h,94.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdK2xpN7Wu1xvaHGE5rn9jQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I see your Ohio City and raise you Midtown:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5054805,-81.6573477,3a,75y,168.91h,94.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBdyJNPTKvUQn_k984oQhXA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Yeah there's smatterings of these all over the near west side

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4840949,-81.7163417,3a,75y,119.57h,86.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sR9aJ9uPKoGWr0MYHnc_dwA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4877495,-81.7146689,3a,75y,134.69h,90.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFPyl3D64EF1ROxJt80KJFw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4806354,-81.7300586,3a,75y,38.87h,86.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_sdE1CKixuiJZq8DZmjKLw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4872622,-81.7144215,3a,75y,351.18h,92.98t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sc68PWKfk2I1RG-9XgEsiPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4781802,-81.7302017,3a,75y,295.6h,88.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0bLxYC-qsFd9YNEh7X2NqQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4771054,-81.7549241,3a,75y,359.31h,85.68t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sfkcJE7YZO66t8s04uaS2Jw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DfkcJE7YZO66t8s04uaS2Jw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D310.87872%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

 

 

 

And then of course these...

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5017924,-81.661641,3a,75y,23.2h,87.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sS2WqEvPJKHbvGo2471rWuw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Are Cincinnati's "detached rowhouses" still rowhouses despite the fire-breaks between most of them? Cincinnati of course has bona-fide rowhouses but relatively few of the 19th-century housing stock seem to actually share walls, and OTR is mostly a tenement neighborhood, with the exception of a few streets here and there.

 

And then you can also wade into the discussion of whether "Columbus-style rowhouses" are true rowhouses since they're more of a walk-up apartment style than individual houses that share walls.

 

For Columbus, it depends on the rowhouse location.  Generally, if they face the street, then they are the "rowhouse" that is expected (individual houses).  The city's courtyard rowhouses (typically found all over; sides face the street, path between two sets) are more of the apartment variety, though still technically rowhouses.

 

For Cincinnati, there are enough true rowhouses in, say, the West End, Clifton Heights, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Auburn to make the case that it's still a significant non-East Coast rowhouse city.

^I think Cincinnati has the most, by far, in the state.

Are Cincinnati's "detached rowhouses" still rowhouses despite the fire-breaks between most of them? Cincinnati of course has bona-fide rowhouses but relatively few of the 19th-century housing stock seem to actually share walls, and OTR is mostly a tenement neighborhood, with the exception of a few streets here and there.

 

And then you can also wade into the discussion of whether "Columbus-style rowhouses" are true rowhouses since they're more of a walk-up apartment style than individual houses that share walls.

 

For Columbus, it depends on the rowhouse location.  Generally, if they face the street, then they are the "rowhouse" that is expected (individual houses).  The city's courtyard rowhouses (typically found all over; sides face the street, path between two sets) are more of the apartment variety, though still technically rowhouses.

 

For Cincinnati, there are enough true rowhouses in, say, the West End, Clifton Heights, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Auburn to make the case that it's still a significant non-East Coast rowhouse city.

 

Not to mention, a ton across the river in Covington and Newport. The Kentucky river cities are cool because they have a lot of rowhouses and shotgun houses, which usually aren't found side-by-side.

^ and ^^ Just for the sake of non-Cincinnatians, when I say "detached rowhouse", I mean buildings like these, which are ostensibly rowhouses in every sense of the word except for the fact that they don't share walls:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1107802,-84.5187709,3a,75y,84.92h,106.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shu0UAHnhBAEZ7is5wt_9yg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1150034,-84.5045864,3a,75y,13.89h,91.77t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sJTSa1jj8v1ptmDvjmNuUxg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DJTSa1jj8v1ptmDvjmNuUxg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D38.382183%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1079865,-84.4969265,3a,60y,55.02h,96.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9KAfWohXsxv68ntJTW3ozw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

And of course this bizarre one on Clifton, set way at the back of the property:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1192921,-84.5184222,3a,75y,22.27h,93.17t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdt283dtGf9ZnOGi2b3EUPQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Ddt283dtGf9ZnOGi2b3EUPQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D331.60193%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

 

 

 

It's worth noting how much variety there are in Cincinnati's rowhouses, even when they are the "traditional" shared-wall style. They rarely share the same style or even the same lot lines as their neighbors, unlike in Philadelphia or Baltimore where you can walk for 10 blocks and every house is exactly the same except for maybe the cladding.

 

Some "attached" rowhouses in Cincinnati, which are just as eclectic:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1131522,-84.5051175,3a,75y,203.25h,86.58t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1scpKyoOWQB5Y-mt2pM3971w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DcpKyoOWQB5Y-mt2pM3971w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D231.05283%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1102205,-84.4983723,3a,75y,221.66h,97.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEkQICG5Zi9gR32MqPHa-Dg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1050398,-84.5164138,3a,75y,184.69h,104.73t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swwlG8vGcLUKmLTGgd9-nSg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DwwlG8vGcLUKmLTGgd9-nSg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D239.2383%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1136391,-84.5056047,3a,90y,205.31h,85.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sL0YlHb0DJN2iacuzjmTwDA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1162521,-84.5094961,3a,60y,207.5h,90.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sr8mVyWG5vzQtoeTAaQkcfA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Check out this density:

 

I don't find that area of Philadelphia to be particularly impressive on foot, sort of like East Boston. 

And of course this bizarre one on Clifton, set way at the back of the property:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1192921,-84.5184222,3a,75y,22.27h,93.17t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdt283dtGf9ZnOGi2b3EUPQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Ddt283dtGf9ZnOGi2b3EUPQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D331.60193%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

 

I almost bought that a few years ago. I came across this blog post about it:

 

http://www.diggingcincinnati.com/2012/03/blue-house-on-west-clifton.html

 

Still no clues as to why it's so far back from the street. My guess is that it was the first building there, they wanted a front yard instead of a back yard, and no one else followed suit. That or they owned all the adjacent parcels and sold them off a few years after they built the house.

My favorite rows in Cincinnati are:

 

1) OTR

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1106408,-84.5194829,3a,75y,201.57h,91.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suKHJGe1uLQzPEnxz9U4A8w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

2) W. Clifton Ave

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1190528,-84.5181284,3a,75y,185.45h,93.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNICBg1B8dHL9hM_wnf1baQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

3) Clifton Heights/ Mt. Auburn

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1270688,-84.5078035,3a,72.2y,36.07h,95.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBRuiRiTGXGNxifQgS2o47Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

4) Liberty Hill

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1134044,-84.5093518,3a,75y,222.45h,91.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv4wm6-J9nc8ACVqkHDts-Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Bonus: Suburban rowhouses in Mariemont

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1468118,-84.3835551,3a,70.6y,98.66h,84.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scZePeq8g8JkOI0KERj9Org!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

4) Liberty Hill

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1134044,-84.5093518,3a,75y,222.45h,91.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv4wm6-J9nc8ACVqkHDts-Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

I have been in one of these with exposed interior brick, and it does in fact share a structural wall with its neighbor.  I don't know if that's the case with all of them or not. 

 

My first ever apartment was in the one on East McMillan in Mt. Auburn.Loved that place.

My favorite set, in Walnut Hills, next to Eden Park:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1189687,-84.4907434,3a,75y,98.28h,98.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s78ly4giloxmpL4rXiigfgQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

A couple more in Walnut Hills:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1200769,-84.4946187,3a,75y,99.06h,96.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ssBPiEVRGmAeoinXHGIXEzw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1183946,-84.4943715,3a,75y,21.79h,90.21t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s875p2495682-5CkttMBi8g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1184157,-84.4946742,3a,75y,321.89h,94.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKD42z2JtBpkZcK_2ybJQfg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Pretty big row of it here:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.119344,-84.4918862,3a,75y,150.23h,93.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sr5rjriSDHeCQI_ijxCs28w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

 

Ah, how could I have forgotten those beauties by Eden Park? Those are all seriously swoon worthy. A friend of mine lived in the first example you posted, and the interior layouts are pretty nice, too!

Are Cincinnati's "detached rowhouses" still rowhouses despite the fire-breaks between most of them? Cincinnati of course has bona-fide rowhouses but relatively few of the 19th-century housing stock seem to actually share walls, and OTR is mostly a tenement neighborhood, with the exception of a few streets here and there.

 

And then you can also wade into the discussion of whether "Columbus-style rowhouses" are true rowhouses since they're more of a walk-up apartment style than individual houses that share walls.

 

And now Cleveland's row homes scattered throughout Tremont, Duck Island, Ohio City, and Detroit Shoreway also seem to fall into some pseudo rowhome purgatory

 

I think they are called "terrace style rowhouses", meaning they were built as a single structure like a walk up apartment building, but laid out with individual entrances for each unit and multi-floor layouts instead of apartment flats.  Usually they have firewalls between the structures, too.

^I think Cincinnati has the most, by far, in the state.

 

I wouldn't say "by far."  On the contrary, Columbus may have more actual rowhouses than Cincinnati.  The majority of Columbus' rowhouses are, uh, quite...modest...while Cincinnati's are older/more ornate/prettier, by far.  On top of that, Cincinnati's endless detached townhomes and tenements are unmatched in the state.

I spent some time in Cincinnati this summer and was impressed with the late 19th century architecture.  I never spent a lot of time there before.  I love the architecture and the row houses.  Our hotel was in Covington so we walked around there a bunch too and I was equally impressed with the rowhouses.  What a great region.

Check out this density:

 

I don't find that area of Philadelphia to be particularly impressive on foot, sort of like East Boston.

 

Really? The area in that aerial covers like a dozen different neighborhoods, all with a very different feel. Here are some street view examples:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/pmNG4fs6GKF2

 

https://goo.gl/maps/hXLzhHnx6a52

 

https://goo.gl/maps/AyhiQAwWhKR2

 

https://goo.gl/maps/4vgKS4Gcjhp

 

https://goo.gl/maps/R8Aa7bVJ6w52

 

https://goo.gl/maps/KLDeZZn36sv

 

https://goo.gl/maps/BcBP76hz5aS2

 

https://goo.gl/maps/R2RMgYucGrM2

 

https://goo.gl/maps/74L5gaz7vSn

 

Most of South Philly is working-class rows, similar to a non-vinyl East Boston, but I think it's far more impressive than East Boston due to the scale.  Philadelphia has the most impressive collection of intimate urban streets in the country.

^^Easy to see why several neighborhoods in Philly remain mob-controlled. Hard to miss any action in that intimate of surroundings.

^^Easy to see why several neighborhoods in Philly remain mob-controlled. Hard to miss any action in that intimate of surroundings.

 

Off topic, but the mob is a shadow of its former self in Philly. Most of the Italian folks that benefited from their presence now live in South Jersey and those neighborhoods have filled up with Mexicans, Vietnamese, Puerto Ricans, and white yuppies. The brightest kids of made men would rather go to college and become doctors and lawyers than try to eek out a living in the mob, so the only people left are too dumb to keep the organization going. It also seems that Joey Merlino, the likely current boss, is headed back to prison soon.

 

https://nypost.com/2018/04/27/mob-boss-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-gambling-to-avoid-retrial/

I'd like to see some contemporary examples in the 3-C. There have been a lot of townhomes built around Cleveland. Few have the same feel as the historic examples. I wonder if that's just the lack of patina on the buildings or the general form, like the front porch, setbacks, or whatever.

I'd like to see some contemporary examples in the 3-C. There have been a lot of townhomes built around Cleveland. Few have the same feel as the historic examples. I wonder if that's just the lack of patina on the buildings or the general form, like the front porch, setbacks, or whatever.

 

Perfect opportunity for me to shamelessly plug a publication I co-authored:

 

https://www.montcopa.org/DocumentCenter/View/19028/Building-Better-Townhouse-Communities_Final-webversion?bidId=

Check out this density:

 

I don't find that area of Philadelphia to be particularly impressive on foot, sort of like East Boston.

 

Really? The area in that aerial covers like a dozen different neighborhoods, all with a very different feel. Here are some street view examples:

 

I have only been to Philadelphia twice but I think it has a disjointed feel because the downtown does not blend as seamlessly into the surrounding neighborhoods as is the case, most obviously, in Boston.  Beacon Hill and the North End are the obvious examples, but even Charleston, which is separated by a river, feels like a solid entity and part of "Boston", whereas Philadelphia's neighborhoods feel more cut-off from the overall city layout.  Baltimore is similar in this respect.  There are a lot of interesting individual sections and blocks, but their impact is diminished because the whole is incohesive.