31 Mount Morris Park West

A substantial essay in Roman brick, 31 Mount Morris Park West, also known as the James Dwight Mansion, was constructed for one of the founders of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.  Designed by Frank H. Smith, a Boston artist and theatrical designer, in a sophisticated mix of Romanesque and Renaissance detailing.  Featuring a beautiful portico… Continue reading

1130 Fifth Avenue

Possibly the finest Colonial Revival house in New York, Delano & Aldrich’s Willard Straight Mansion at 1130 Fifth Avenue was completed in 1913 and shows the firm at its very best in terms of mixing a classical vocabulary with a fresh sense of scale and juxtaposition.  The porthole windows along the uppermost floor are especially… Continue reading

Just Off Fifth: 9 East 91st Street, the John H. Hammond House

The third of the three remarkable large-scale freestanding houses to line the north-side block of East 91st Street between Fifth and Madison, 9 East 91st Street was designed in 1903 by Carrere & Hastings for banker John H. Hammond, whose sister-in-law was Mrs. Burden, owner of the house next door at 5 East 91st.  Called… Continue reading

Just Off Fifth: 5 East 91st Street, the James Burden Mansion

A worthy neighbor to the larger Kahn Mansion at 1 East 91st Street, the James Burden Mansion at 5 East 91st Street has been called “the finest Beaux Arts townhouse in the city” by the New York Landmarks Commission.  A sumptuous yet stately 1902-1905 design by Warren & Wetmore, 5 East 91st Street is also… Continue reading

2 East 91st Street, The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum

One of the most remarkable survivors on Fifth Avenue, 2 East 91st Street, the Andrew Carnegie Mansion, was designed by Babb, Cook & Willard for Andrew Carnegie, who requested “The most modest, plainest and roomiest house in New York.”  One may assume that Mr. Carnegie was speaking ironically as the house is one of the… Continue reading