An Exquisite Entrée
With an eye for the undiscovered, designer Dana Nicholson creates a
singular sensation in the outer limits of the West Village
text: James Weske photos: Stephen Barker
BEFORE THE TALES OF FOuR NOTORIOuS FEMALE FRIENDS claimed New York
City’s Meat Packing District there were the sagas of the neighborhood’s real
style pioneers. Among them were visionaries designer Dana Nicholson and
homeowner Todd Hamilton, both armed with a sexy, sophisticated aesthetic that
embraced the potential of gritty corners and faded facades—and would quietly
help transform America’s most celebrated metropolis.
With the keen eye of an outsider, Todd Hamilton was barely thirty when he
happened upon a nondescript Perry Street apartment in the mid-90s. Few
coveted this outer area of the West Village, but Hamilton, the owner and founder
of an international private equity firm, fell in love with the cobblestone streets
that led him to the pre-war building. Raised in a traditional home, the Denver
