A Guide to Historic New York City Neighborhoods
Pa r k Av e n u e
Manhattan
The Historic Districts Council is New York’s citywide advocate for historic buildings and
neighborhoods. The Six to Celebrate program annually identifies six historic New York City
neighborhoods that merit preservation as priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over
a yearlong period.
The six, chosen from applications submitted by community organizations, are selected
on the basis of the architectural and historic merit of the area, the level of threat to the
neighborhood, the strength and willingness of the local advocates, and the potential for
HDC’s preservation support to be meaningful. HDC works with these neighborhood partners
to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs
and publicity.
The core belief of the Historic Districts Council is that preservation and enhancement of
New York City’s historic resources—its neighborhoods, buildings, parks and public spaces—
are central to the continued success of the city. The Historic Districts Council works to
ensure the preservation of these resources and uphold the New York City Landmarks Law
and to further the preservation ethic. This mission is accomplished through ongoing programs
of assistance to more than 500 community and neighborhood groups and through publicpolicy initiatives, publications, educational outreach and sponsorship of community events.
Support is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership
with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo
and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by City Councilmembers Margaret Chin, Inez
Dickens, Matthieu Eugene, Daniel Garodnick, Vincent Gentile, Corey Johnson, Ben Kallos, Stephen Levin, Mark
Levine, and Rosie Mendez.
232 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003
tel 212-614-9107 fax 212-614-9127
e-mail [email protected]
www.hdc.org
6tocelebrate.org
Copyright © 2015 by Historic Districts Council
Park Avenue
Park Avenue, today a coveted address, was once neglected. In 1831, the New York and
Harlem Railroad was granted use of what was then known as Fourth Avenue for its
train tracks. Steam locomotives were introduced in 1837, and the avenue was widened
from 100 to 140 feet. Just after the construction of the Grand Central Depot on
42nd Street (the first of three stations to be called Grand Central), legislation in 1872
mandated that train tracks be below ground, which led to construction of a railroad
tunnel between 56th and 96th Streets. Known as the “Fourth Avenue Improvement,”
this partially covered tunnel funneled pollutants and noise up to the street through
vents in the center of Fourth Avenue. As a result, residential development stalled in
the 1870s and 80s, even as the wealthy were building extravagant mansions on Fifth
and Madison Avenues and associated carriage houses and stables east of Fourth
Avenue. A transitional place, Fourth Avenue’s first buildings included an assortment
of rowhouses, tenements and institutions. The latter category included the German
Hospital (later Lenox Hill Hospital) and the Seventh Regiment Armory (site #7).
In 1887, the Board of Alderman voted to rename the blocks north of 42nd Street Park
Avenue, but “Fourth Avenue” was widely used until the early 20th century. After a
major rail accident in 1902, the New York State Legislature banned steam locomotives
in Manhattan, requiring train lines to be electrified. This precipitated the construction
of a new Grand Central Terminal and drastically increased Park Avenue’s real estate
value. The central vents were converted into landscaped malls. In 1928-29, to
facilitate the widening of the avenue for vehicular traffic, the malls and sidewalks were
narrowed and buildings’ areaways were removed. Regardless of their diminution in size,
the malls (site #1) are still a highlight of Park Avenue.
Perhaps the most important contributor to Park Avenue’s special character is its
apartment buildings, whose largely uniform heights form continuous street walls.
After World War I, apartment living became fashionable for the wealthy, and Park
Avenue experienced a building boom in the 1910s and 20s. Apartment buildings were
designed to emulate the elegance of the townhouses they were replacing. In addition
to spacious lobbies, uniformed doormen, elevators and large apartments (with as many
as 18 rooms), the buildings were designed by respected architects in popular styles,
including: Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival and Art Deco. Among the notable
architects were: George and Edward Blum, Rosario Candela, J. E. R. Carpenter,
George F. Pelham and Emery Roth. These buildings continued to be built on Park
Avenue after World War II and up until the present, signaling its constant desirability
over time. Park Avenue also boasts a number of graceful townhouses and religious
institutions, as well as several new buildings completed in the early 2000s (site # 16).
Residential Park Avenue is largely protected by landmark designation. The Upper
East Side Historic District, designated in 1981, includes the blocks between East 61st
and 79th Streets. The Park Avenue Historic District, designated in 2014, includes
the blocks between East 79th and 91st Streets. The Expanded Carnegie Hill Historic
District, designated in 1993, includes the blocks between East 91st and halfway
between 93rd and 94th Streets. The avenue also includes a number of individually
designated landmarks.
1 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
1
Park Avenue Malls
Park Avenue’s iconic malls were born in the mid-1870s, when
the railroad vents were covered with shrubs and surrounded by
simple iron fences. In 1894, residents formed the Park Avenue
Association, which, by the 1920s, had the vents fully covered
over. Private donations in 1929 and 1931 led to the planting of
roughly 7,000 trees from 34th to 96th Streets. Another private
donation in 1946 introduced flowering varieties. In 1969-70,
the malls and fences were redesigned by Clara Coffey. The Park
Avenue Malls Planting Project Committee formed in 1980 to
establish and maintain a uniform planting plan. Today, planting, maintenance and the
annual holiday tree lighting (since 1945), is funded and performed by the Carnegie Hill
Neighbors and the Fund for Park Avenue.
2
a
Colony Club
564 Park Avenue
(Delano & Aldrich,
1914-16) – NYC HD
2b
Union Club of the
City of New York
701 Park Avenue
(Delano & Aldrich,
1930-31) – NYC HD
Park Avenue has two of the city’s
early private clubhouses, both
designed by Delano & Aldrich. The
Colony Club, which still operates, was
the first women’s group in the city to
erect a clubhouse, though this neoGeorgian building is the club’s second
home. Its first home at 129 Madison
Avenue is an Individual Landmark.
The Union Club was established in
1836, making it the oldest private
club in the city and the third oldest
in the country. This Renaissance
Revival structure is its sixth home,
which includes card and backgammon
rooms and squash courts.
Legend of designations
National Historic Landmark: National Register of Historic Places—District: National Register of Historic Places­—Property: New York City Historic District: New York City Individual Landmark: New York City Interior Landmark: NHL
NR-D
NR-P
NYC HD
NYC IL
NYC INL
2 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
3a
Third Church of
Christ Scientist
583 Park Avenue
(Delano & Aldrich, 1922-24)
– NYC HD
Two contiguously constructed churches stand on this
block. The Third Church of Christ Scientist is a lovely
example of the neo-Georgian style, its red brick façades
3b
graced with a grand columned portico and its central
dome crowned by a balustrade and cupola. In 2006, the
Central Presbyterian
pews were removed from the interior so the space could
Church
also be used for events. The construction of the Central
593 Park Avenue
Presbyterian Church building was partly funded by the
(Henry C. Pelton and Allen &
Rockefellers. Its Gothic Revival style is evidenced by
Collens,1920-22) – NYC HD
its rough granite cladding, a large pointed arch window
and intricately carved octagonal tower. Across the
3c
street, note the stylized colonnade formed by a series of
pilasters at the base of 580 Park Avenue, which occupies
580 Park Avenue
the entire blockfront.
(J. E. R. Carpenter, 1923)
– NYC HD
4
600 Park Avenue
(James Gamble Rogers,
1910-11) – NYC HD
601 Park Avenue (Walter
Lund & Julius F. Gayler,
1919-20)
– NYC HD
Across the street from one another are two grand
mansions. 600 Park Avenue was built for businessman
Jonathan Bulkley and his wife Sarah Tod. After their
deaths in 1939 and 1943, the Renaissance Revival
mansion sat empty until 1946, when the Swedish
Government purchased it as its Consul General’s
residence. In 2009, the house became the residence of
the Swedish Ambassador to the United Nations. 601 Park
Avenue, a neo-Federal mansion with 100 feet of Park
Avenue frontage, was built for sugar wholesaler Thomas
A. Howell. A long, half-elliptical stair hall occupies the
center of the house and all of its rooms face the avenue.
Interestingly, this house was left on the market for almost
two decades, unable to find a buyer from 1989 to 2008.
3 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
The Seventh Regiment was formed in 1806 from
four volunteer militia companies, and served in
5
the War of 1812, the Civil War and both World
Wars, as well as aided in subduing numerous civilian
Seventh Regiment Armory
disorders. In 1880, after years of using various
643 Park Avenue
buildings, its own grand armory, designed in the
(Charles W. Clinton, 1877-79)
style of a fortified castle, opened to much fanfare.
– NYC HD, NYC IL, NYC INL,
Often referred to as the “silk stocking regiment,”
NR-P
its members were socially prominent. As such, the
building features lavish interiors designed by noted
artists and architects, including Louis Comfort
Tiffany, Stanford White, the Herter Brothers and
Pottier & Stymus, among others. Much of the
first and second floor interiors are protected by
landmark designation. Because the drill hall was
used for maneuvers, the 55,000-square-foot
space required very high ceilings. Normally used for
train sheds, enormous iron trusses span the enclosure to support the roof. It remains
one of the largest unobstructed spaces in the city, and has been used for a variety of
functions. From 1900 to 1963, the National Indoor Tennis Championships were held
here, and since 1902, the Knickerbocker Greys, a junior cadet corps for school boys,
has used the space for drills. In 2006, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy took
over the building with a mission to restore its historic spaces and transform it into a
world-class venue for the performing and visual arts.
6
680 Park Avenue (McKim, Mead & White, 1909-11)
684 Park Avenue (McKim, Mead & White, 1925-26)
686 Park Avenue (Delano & Aldrich, 1917-19)
690 Park Avenue (Walker & Gillette, 1916)
– all: NYC ILs, NR-P
On the west side of Park between East 68th and 69th Streets is an architecturally
cohesive group of neo-Federal townhouses, referred to as the Pyne-Davison Row.
680 Park Avenue was built for banker and philanthropist Percy Rivington Pyne. In
1960, Nikita Kruschchev gave a press conference on the balcony when he stayed
there during a visit to the United Nations. 684 Park Avenue was built for Percy Pyne’s
daughter, Mary, and son-in-law Oliver D. Filley. In December of 1964, before the city
passed the Landmarks Law to enable the legal protection of historic buildings, plans
were underway to demolish 680 and 684 Park Avenue. A last minute purchase by the
Marquesa de Cuevas, the former Margaret Rockefeller Strong, granddaughter of John
D. Rockefeller, saved the buildings, along with 49 East 68th Street. The Marquesa
4 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
donated 680 Park Avenue to the Center for Inter-American Relations (absorbed into
the Americas Society in 1985), and sold 684 Park Avenue to the Queen Sofia Spanish
Institute, stipulating that changes could not be made to its exterior. The threat to
these buildings was one of many that underscored the great need for a law to protect
the city’s architectural heritage. 686 Park Avenue was built for William Sloane,
president of the home furnishings store W. & J. Sloane. In 1958, it was purchased
by the Republic of Italy for its Istituto Italiano di Cultura. 690 Park Avenue was built
for banker Henry Pomeroy Davison and his wife Kate Trubee. In 1952, it became the
residence of the Consul General of Italy.
Some of the earliest
single-family residences
7
on Park Avenue, these
709 and 711 Park Avenue
two Queen Anne style
(Bassett Jones, 1882-85)
rowhouses were once part
– NYC HD
of a row of ten along the
entire blockfront. The
most marked feature of
the five-story, brick and brownstone houses are their grand
arched pediments. The wave-like rhythm of these arches
was a distinctive characteristic of this part of Park Avenue
when all ten were still standing.
8
720 Park Avenue (Rosario Candela, 1928-29)
730 Park Avenue (Lafayette A. Goldstone, 1928-29)
770 Park Avenue (Rosario Candela, 1929-30)
778 Park Avenue (Rosario Candela, 1929-31)
784 Park Avenue (Emery Roth, 1928-29)
– NYC HD
Along the west side of Park between 70th and 74th Streets is a series of contiguously
constructed apartment buildings that feature varied massing and setbacks at their
crowns, including elaborate towers and chimneys. 770 Park Avenue even features
massive buttresses supporting its central rooftop tower. These five buildings were
designed in the Renaissance Revival style, some with Jacobean Revival and neoGeorgian details. The view of this stretch of Park Avenue, either from the south or the
north, is quite magnificent.
5 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
9
a
821 Park Avenue
(unknown architect, c.
1890) – NYC HD
9b
9b - 957 Park
Avenue (John Hauser,
1898-99)
– NYC HD, NR-D
Seven blocks apart,
these two corner
buildings are two of
Park Avenue’s only
remaining tenements.
They share not only
a building type, but a
Renaissance Revival
architectural vocabulary, which includes rusticated bases,
double-height pilasters topped by arched window surrounds
and projecting rooftop cornices. 821 Park Avenue had been
one of a row of seven called The Terrace. 957 Park Avenue,
which originally had a saloon on the ground floor, had been
one of four nearly identical tenements with commercial
bases.
As the first tall
apartment buildings
10a
to be constructed
865 Park Avenue
on Park Avenue,
(Pollard & Steinem, 1907-08)
865 and 925 Park
– NYC HD
Avenue set the
standard for the
avenue’s principal
10b
building type. Both
925 Park Avenue
designed in the Renaissance Revival style, the buildings
(Delano
& Aldrich, 1907-08)
share similar architectural features, such as rusticated
–
NYC
HD, NR-D
stone bases, buff-colored brick, decorative metalwork
and projecting cornices. Their heights, which are also
similar (12 stories for 865 Park Avenue and 14 stories for 925 Park Avenue), set the
precedent that formed Park Avenue’s now iconic street wall.
Wedged between
two 14-story, 1920s
11
apartment buildings
is this five-story
890 Park Avenue
rowhouse, which,
(James E. Ware, 1884-85)
with its gable roof,
– NYC HD
pedimented dormer
and chimney, appears
quaint in comparison. Originally one of a group of rowhouses that wrapped around
East 79th Street, this brick and brownstone house’s front stoop was removed in 1929
and its entrance was converted into a round-arch window with columns and a fanlight.
6 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
12
893 Park Avenue
(Sloan & Robertson,
1929) – NYC HD
903 Park Avenue
(Warren & Wetmore
and Robert T. Lyons,
1912-13)
– NYC HD, NR-D
Developers Leo
and Alexander
M. Bing were
the most prolific
developers
on Park
Avenue, having
constructed
at least seven
apartment
buildings. One
of the most notable was the Renaissance Revival style 903
Park Avenue, which, at 210 feet, was considered one of the
tallest apartment buildings in the world upon completion.
The luxury building was designed with one very large
apartment per floor. Across East 79th Street is the striking
893 Park Avenue. Its Art Deco style has some powerful
Classical motifs, including monumental fluted pilasters.
13
940 Park Avenue
(George & Edward Blum, 1925-26)
– NYC HD, NR-D
944 Park Avenue
(George F. Pelham, 1929-30)
– NYC HD, NR-D
Directly abutting one another are two noteworthy
examples of Art Deco style apartment buildings.
One of the earliest examples of the style on Park
Avenue, 940 features stylized ornament, which is
most prominent on the East 81st Street façade. Decorative
ironwork motifs include female nudes and children tending
gardens. 944 Park Avenue is a bit more restrained, but has
stylized pilasters and terra-cotta “frozen fountain” reliefs.
7 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
14a
949 Park Avenue
(C3D Architecture, 2008-11)
– NYC HD, NR-D
14b
985 Park Avenue
(Costas Kondylis and Partners, 2005-08)
– NYC HD, NR-D
14c
1055 Park Avenue
(Kohn, Pedersen, Fox Associates with
H. Thomas O’Hara, 2005-09)
– NYC HD, NR-D
On the east side of Park Avenue, three new
apartment buildings were constructed in the
late 2000s and early 2010s. Because they were
all built on small lots, having replaced low-rise
19th century buildings, they are strikingly similar
in their tall and narrow footprints, as well as in
their glassy materiality. Another new building,
designed by Barry Rice Architects, began
construction in 2013 at 1110 Park Avenue. While
some find them to be stark intrusions, others
believe these buildings represent the latest
chapter in the avenue’s history.
15
One of the first institutions on Fourth Avenue was the
parish of St. Lawrence O’Toole, whose first building was
erected in 1854. The parish, later incorporated as St.
Ignatius Loyola (founder of the Jesuits in 1541), expanded
in the 1880s, beginning with the construction of a fourstory parish house and residence hall. The church itself
was designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival, in homage
to the architecture that was popular during St. Ignatius’
lifetime. It was one of the first houses of worship in the
city to use steel roof beams and trusses for fireproofing.
Its two upper towers were never realized. In 1899, the
Loyola School was established to educate the sons of
wealthy Catholics (it became co-educational in 1973), for
which the limestone building at the corner of East 83rd
Street was built.
Church of St.
Ignatius Loyola
980 Park Avenue
(parish hall/rectory: Patrick
C. Keely, 1881-83
church:
Schickel & Ditmars,
1895-1900, NYC IL;
school:
Schickel & Ditmars,
1899-1900)
– NYC HD,
NR-P, NR-D
8 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
These two
townhouses were
16a
constructed on
property owned
Lewis G. and Nathalie B.
by lawyer Amos
Morris House
R. E. Pinchot.
1015 Park Avenue (Ernest
In 1910, Pinchot
Flagg, 1913-14)
commissioned a
– NYC HD, NYC IL,
grand house for
NR-P, NR-D
himself at 1021 Park Avenue (demolished 1930), and
purchased a considerable amount of property nearby.
16b
At the time, little was built this far north, making
Pinchot a neighborhood pioneer. Constructed for Lewis
Reginald & Anna
Gouverneur and Nathalie Bailey Morris, 1015 Park
DeKoven House
Avenue is a distinctive neo-Federal mansion that faces
1025 Park Avenue
East 85th Street. Upon Mr. Morris’ death in 1968,
(John Russell Pope, 1911-12) the house became the headquarters of several private
– NYC HD, NYC IL,
charitable foundations. 1025 Park Avenue was built
NR-D
for Reginald DeKoven, a popular composer and music
critic. The house was designed in the Jacobean Revival
style, a reprise of an English style popular during the
Renaissance and named for King James I. The house’s Jacobean features include two
prominent bay windows and an arched entrance flanked by columns and pilasters.
This magnificent French Gothic Revival
style church is clad in grey Manhattan
17a
schist, and features a pointed arch
stained glass window and a 70-foot
Park Avenue
lead fleche, cast in Birmingham,
Christian Church
England, by Henry Hope & Sons to
1010 Park Avenue (Bertram
emulate the one at Sainte Chapelle
Goodhue of Cram, Goodhue &
in Paris. Goodhue also designed the
Ferguson, 1909-11)
adjacent rectory in the same style
–NYCHD, NR-D
of the same grey schist. In 2014,
controversy over its demolition led to
17b
the designation of the Park Avenue
Historic District. The Gothic Revival
1000 Park Avenue
style 1000 Park Avenue was designed
(Emery Roth, 1915)
to complement the church and
– NYC HD, NR-D
rectory, and features intricate details
like statuettes of medieval warriors and
builders, animal reliefs, coats of arms and foliated moldings. The building is unusual for
Emery Roth, who mostly favored the Classical or Art Deco styles.
9 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
18
a
1020 Park Avenue
(Wechsler & Schimenti,
1963)
– NYC HD, NR-D
18b
1036 Park Avenue
(Gustave W. Iser, 1956)
– NYC HD, NR-D
18c
1065 Park Avenue
(Stephen C. Lyras,
1969-73)
– NYC HD, NR-D
A lull in construction during the Depression and
World War II gave way to a building boom in the postwar period, during which these three buildings were
constructed. 1020 Park Avenue’s base is clad in travertine
marble, a popular material at the time. 1036 Park Avenue
features stripes of blue-green ceramic panels on both
façades, with wider panels on the corner. Many architects
of the Modern era employed color in place of ornament
to give buildings depth and character. Both buildings
are distinctive for their asymmetrical massing at the top
stories, which created private terraces. In 1961, the city
passed a zoning code to encourage the construction
of free-standing towers. 1065 Park Avenue, which
took the place of a tenement, was one of the avenue’s
few buildings to be inspired by the “tower in the park”
concept. Its 30-story height was achieved by setting the
building back and within a small landscaped plaza.
Originally constructed for the Park Avenue
Methodist Episcopal Church, 1035 Park
19
Avenue was designed to relate to the
adjoining church (now the Park Avenue
1035 Park Avenue
United Methodist Church), particularly
(Henry C. Pelton,
its Venetian arches. Catty-corner to the
1925-26)
building is 1040 Park Avenue, whose
– NYC HD, NR-D
eclectic ornament includes a frieze with
sculpted tortoises and hares. Interestingly,
1040 Park Avenue
the building does not have a cornice, which
(Delano & Aldrich,
is unusual for a Renaissance Revival style
1923-25)
building. It did, however, have one of the
– NYC HD, NR-D
Avenue’s earliest penthouse apartments,
which became fashionable in the 1920s. Though intended as servants’ quarters,
the top floor was transformed by famed magazine publisher Condé Nast into a
5,000-square-foot duplex designed by actress and interior decorator Elsie de
Wolfe. The building was also briefly home to Jacqueline Kennedy after she left
the White House.
10 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
20
1080 Park Avenue
(Frederick T. Camp, 1886-87;
Harry Hurwit, 1927-28)
– NYC HD, NR-D
1082 Park Avenue
(redesign: Augustus N. Allen, 1925)
– NYC HD, NR-D
These two, low-scale
structures were constructed
in 1887 as tenements. 1082
Park Avenue was redesigned
in the Mediterranean
Revival style with arched
window openings and
intricate, vibrant terracotta ornament. Both have
retained their commercial
storefronts, which is a rarity
for Park Avenue.
21
1095 Park Avenue
(Schwartz & Gross, 1929-30)
– NYC HD, NR-D
In 1929, the New York State Legislature passed the
Multiple Dwelling Law, requiring better standards for
safety, health and access to light and air. Its benefits
for the city’s poor were great, but on Park Avenue,
the law translated into a design trend toward terraced
upper floors, like those on 1095 and 1100 Park Avenue.
The law also introduced water tanks to the urban landscape for drinking water and fire
protection. On Park Avenue, water tanks were concealed behind rooftop pavilions,
which fit right in with the stepped architectural silhouette that had become trendy
during the Depression era, forming a crown at the top of the entire ensemble.
1100 Park Avenue
(De Pace & Juster,
1929-30)
– NYC HD, NR-D
The congregation of Brick
Presbyterian Church dates back
22
to 1767. Its original home was
the “old Brick Church” at the
Brick Presbyterian Church
corner of Beekman and Nassau
1140-1144 Park Avenue
Streets. After a stay in midtown,
(York & Sawyer, 1938-40;
the church merged with the
parish house: 1948-49)
Park Avenue Presbyterian
– NYC HD, NR-D
Church in the 1930s and
constructed this lovely building. In reference to the congregation’s roots, the church
was designed in the neo-Georgian style popular during the Colonial period. It features
a temple front and a polygonal tower topped by a ball finial. There is a chapel extension
on the north façade, and the parish house is around the corner at 62 East 92nd
Street. The church interior was fashioned after St. Paul’s Chapel, a contemporary of
the original Brick Church.
11 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
23
1141 Park Avenue (John Sullivan, 1884-85)
1143 Park Avenue (John Sullivan, 1884-85;
altered: Emery Roth, 1924);
1145 Park Avenue (John Sullivan, 1884-85;
redesigned: Emery Roth, 1920-21);
1147 Park Avenue (John Sullivan, 1884-85)
1149 Park Avenue (John Sullivan, 1884-85;
redesigned: Emery Roth, 1917)
– all: NYC ILs, NR-P
Aside from 1141 Park Avenue, which
was originally a flats building for three
families, these charming buildings
were built as single-family rowhouses.
All five of them, which were designed in the neo-Grec style, have undergone
significant alterations or wholesale façade redesigns since their construction in the
1880s, but 1147 Park Avenue retains the most of its original façade configuration.
Occupying the
entire blockfront,
24
this enormous
1185 Park Avenue
Gothic Revival style
(Schwartz & Gross,
apartment building
1928-29)
is accessed through a grand triple-arched
– NYC HD, NR-D
doorway leading into a landscaped interior
courtyard and to the building’s six lobbies.
The five bays on either end of the building resemble bookends, as their windows are
surrounded by cream-colored, ornamental terra-cotta. Across the street, 1192 Park
Avenue now stands where the home of prominent brewer George Ehret once stood.
The brownstone mansion was built in 1878 (demolished 1928) when the area was
largely unoccupied, but its location was convenient to Ehret’s Hell Gate Brewery
on the East River. As one of the first “fine” residences on upper Park Avenue, the
mansion inspired other prominent families to move here.
25
Mount
Prospect/
Mount Pleasant
Park Avenue at
East 93rd Street
Though many of its slopes were flattened when the street grid
was imposed in the early 19th century, the Upper East Side’s
natural topography is quite hilly. The slope at this section of
Park Avenue was once prominent, and was referred to as
“Mount Prospect” or “Mount Pleasant.” In 1837, a railroad
tunnel was cut through the hill to bring day-trip visitors to upper
Manhattan. A grand hotel, Prospect Hall, was built near what is
now East 93rd Street. Situated on 12 acres, visitors could take in
views of the city, as well as Long Island and New Jersey.
12 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
This L-shaped, red brick
and limestone complex was
26
built in two phases by two
Former George F.
different owners. The threeBaker Mansion
story building that abuts Park
69-75 East 93rd Street
Avenue was built for banker
(Delano & Aldrich,
Francis F. Palmer. In 1928,
1917-18 and 1928-29)
banker and philanthropist
– NYC ILs, NYC HD,
George F. Baker, Jr. purchased the house and added the
NR-P, NR-D
L-shaped ballroom wing, set back from the street by a
courtyard. On the other end, a garage with apartments
above was also constructed. The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church
Outside of Russia purchased the house and ballroom wing in 1958. The garage wing
remains a private residence.
These seven
rowhouses
27
that wrap
the corner
1209, 1211, 1213, 1215, 1217 Park Avenue
of East 95th
and 112, 114 East 95th Street
Street were
(Flemer & Kohler, 1889-90; 1209
built by one
redesign: Lucien David, 1960-62; 1211 redesign:
developer. The houses on Park Avenue
William L. Bottomley, 1922) – NRP-D
were designed in the Renaissance
Revival style, while the narrower ones
on East 95th Street were designed in the Queen Anne style. 1209 and 1211 Park
Avenue were significantly altered in the 20th century, the former in a Modern style
when it was converted to a school, and the latter in the neo-Georgian style.
In 1884, a group of gentlemen horseback riders formed
the “First New York Hussars” or “First Dragoons,” and by
1889, its 53 members became Troop “A.” By 1895, the
group became Squadron “A,” and served in the Spanish
American War and in World War I as the 105th Machine
Gun Battalion. The armory was built for Squadron A and,
true to its roots, included roughly 100 horse stalls. At
one time encompassing the entire block, the building
was partially demolished in the 1960s. The Madison
Avenue side was saved by an emergency action by the
Landmarks Preservation Commission, which designated
it a city landmark. This façade is notable for its two large
crenellated towers. The Park Avenue side was demolished
to make way for a school, but was replaced with a building
that evokes the original complex, which now houses the
Hunter College Elementary and High Schools.
28
Squadron A Armory
1339 Madison Avenue
(John R. Thomas, 1895;
Park Avenue side:
Morris Ketchum, 1969)
– Madison Avenue
façade: NYC IL,
NR-P, NR-D
13 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue
14 — Historic Districts Council — Park Avenue