2 East 79th Street, The Ukrainian Institute of America
The Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion at 2 East 79th Street was designed by C.P.H. Gilbert, whose nearby 3 East 78th Street helped set the tone for the Cook Block overall. An exemplary work in the Chateauesque style, the house is an inventive mixture of French Gothic and early Renaissance elements reinterpreted for a New York townhouse; invented by Richard Morris Hunt for the Alva K. Vanderbilt Mansion (no longer standing), the style became so identified with that family that it is sometimes referred to as “Vanderbilt Gothic”.
Built for the art collector Isaac D. Fletcher, the house is now home to the Ukrainian Institute of America and is open to the public for numerous events. The interior is in excellent condition; the grand staircase, carved under the direction of master builder Harvey Murdock, is exceptional.