I have read various versions of the origin of these houses (constituting about three-quarters of a long block, more than you can see here), but the story goes that a man built them in the style of row houses in Philadelphia, for his wife, a native of Philadelphia who missed her hometown. (They lived across the street, but the idea was that she would wake up and see her beloved Philadelphia every morning.) Constructed in either 1862 or 1866 (depending on source). For a 1920s picture of the row, go to http://philadelphiarow.com/