972 Fifth Avenue, The French Cultural Attaché
The last remaining and arguably the best townhouse design on Fifth Avenue by McKim, Mead & White, the Payne Whitney House at 972 Fifth Avenue was designed by Stanford White as a wedding gift from Colonel Oliver H. Payne for his nephew Payne Whitney as a wedding gift. Built in 1902-1906 on the garden plot… Continue reading
1 East 78th Street, The New York University Institute of Fine Arts
The Duke Mansion at 1 East 78th Street replaced the gloomy chateau of Henry Cook, the original developer of the block between East 78th and East 79th Streets on Fifth Avenue. Designed for the tobacco baron James B. Duke, the house is one of the masterpieces of Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, who was also the… Continue reading
Just Off Fifth: 7 East 72nd Street
In complete contrast to its white brick neighbor at 912 Fifth Avenue, the Jennings Mansion at 7 East 72nd Street is an eye-popping catalogue of Beaux Arts architecture at its most unconstrained. Built in 1898 for Oliver Jennings, 7 East 72nd Street was designed by Ernest Flagg, whose best-known remaining New York building is the… Continue reading
907 Fifth Avenue
One of J.E.R. Carpenter’s most substantial buildings, 907 Fifth Avenue was completed in 1916 and was the first such building to replace an existing mansion (998 Fifth Avenue was completed in 1910 but was constructed on an open lot). The building won Carpenter the gold medal of the American Institute of Architects for 1916 and… Continue reading
1 East 60th Street, The Metropolitan Club
A spectacular 1893 extravaganza by McKim, Mead & White, the Metropolitan Club is chiefly the work of the firm’s leading partner Stanford White and may be his most flamboyant New York City design, especially when compared to Charles McKim’s University Club at 54th and Fifth. McKim’s building is a highly ornate but sober monument to… Continue reading