19 East 54th Street

Edit links
Coordinates: 40°45′39″N 73°58′27″W / 40.760700°N 73.974050°W / 40.760700; -73.974050
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Minnie E. Young House
The house as seen from the south
Seen from the south
Map
General information
Location19 East 54th Street, Manhattan, New York, US
Coordinates40°45′39″N 73°58′27″W / 40.760700°N 73.974050°W / 40.760700; -73.974050
Current tenantsInteraudi Bank
Construction started1899
Completed1900
ClientMinnie E. Young
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hiss and Weekes
New York City Landmark
DesignatedNovember 22, 2016[1]
Reference no.2577[1]

19 East 54th Street, originally the Minnie E. Young House, is a commercial building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is along 54th Street's northern sidewalk between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue. The building was designed by Philip Hiss and H. Hobart Weekes of the firm Hiss and Weekes. It was constructed between 1899 and 1900 as a private residence for Minnie Edith Arents Young.

The house was designed as a

palazzo in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The 54th Street facade was designed as a four-story structure with a rusticated first story and decorated windows on the upper stories. Because 19 East 54th Street was wider than other houses in the area, the architectural details were designed to be more imposing. The penthouse at the fifth and sixth stories is recessed from the street. The interior was ornately outfitted with a coffered ceiling
, a stained-glass conservatory, and staircases with oak paneling.

Young commissioned the house after her uncle Lewis Ginter, the founder of the American Tobacco Company, died in 1897 and left her a large bequest. Young leased the home to "Lucille" Lady Duff Gordon in 1920. The house was subsequently occupied by antiques trader Arthur S. Vernay from 1925 to 1943, then by the English-Speaking Union until 1956. Hairdresser Mr. Kenneth operated a salon in the building from 1963 until 1990, when the house's interior was severely damaged by fire. The building was then renovated and has served as Bank Audi's U.S. headquarters since 1993. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 19 East 54th Street as an official landmark in 2016.

Site

The Minnie E. Young House is at 19 East 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is on the north side of 54th Street between Madison Avenue to the east and Fifth Avenue to the west. The land lot covers 4,201 square feet (390.3 m2) with a frontage of 41.67 feet (12.70 m) on 54th Street and a depth of 100.42 feet (30.61 m). Nearby sites include the William H. Moore House at 4 East 54th Street and the Aeolian Building to the west; the St. Regis New York hotel to the northwest; 550 Madison Avenue one block north; the DuMont Building to the southeast; and Paley Park one block south.[2]

Fifth Avenue between

Central Park South (59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century.[3] The surrounding area was once part of the common lands of the city of New York.[4] The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 established Manhattan's street grid with lots measuring 100 feet (30 m) deep and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide.[5] Upscale residences were constructed around Fifth Avenue following the American Civil War.[3][6] The block of East 54th Street from Fifth to Madison Avenues was only sporadically developed until the late 1870s, and it had brownstone residences by 1886.[7][8] Residents of the block included developer William Earl Dodge Stokes at 4 East 54th and merchant John R. Platt at 7 East 54th. On the next block west were the residences of John D. Rockefeller at 4 West 54th, John D. Rockefeller Jr. at 10 West 54th, and Philip Lehman at 7 West 54th.[8]

Architecture

19 East 54th Street is designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style by Philip Hiss and H. Hobart Weekes of the firm Hiss and Weekes.[1] It is six stories tall, although only four stories are directly visible on the street.[9] With a width of 40 feet (12 m), the house is wider than other townhouses in the area, which typically measured 25 by 100 feet (7.6 by 30.5 m).[10] Russell Sturgis, writing for Architectural Record in 1900, described 19 East 54th Street as being well proportioned because its increased width allowed more imposing design features. According to Sturgis, "if one were to wish for a fairly good idea embodied in solid construction of those villini which the Florentines have been building diligently during the last twenty years, he would find it in this front."[11]

Facade

The main facade on 54th Street is four stories tall with three

balustrade runs across the bottom of the second story. The windows on that story are topped by pediments that are supported by scrolled brackets. The second-story and third-story windows are flanked by rusticated piers that support a cornice above the third story. The fourth story has recessed panels between the windows and is topped by a large stone cornice with brackets.[9]

The fifth and sixth stories, added in 1960 and 1993 respectively, are hidden behind the fourth-floor cornice. These stories form a penthouse that is clad with parged brick and concrete. The house's west and east facades are not visible from the street.[9]

Interior

According to the

palazzos. Inside the second floor was a parlor that was a common space for guests. The third and fourth floors served as the private rooms.[8] The interior was ornately decorated with a coffered ceiling, a stained-glass conservatory, and rooms with oak paneling. The rooms also had modillioned cornices.[13]

When the house was turned into the salon of hairdresser Mr. Kenneth, the interior was richly decorated throughout with flowered carpet and red-and-yellow paisley pattern fabrics. The original salon interior was a rare commercial project undertaken by the interior decorator Billy Baldwin.[12][14] Mr. Kenneth's salon was redesigned in 1985 with red walls, painted clouds on the ceiling,[14] Parts of the original interior design persisted through at least 1990, when the salon was severely damaged by fire.[13]

History

Detail of the second story of the facade
Second-story detail

The residence was commissioned for Minnie Edith Young (née Arents), born in 1855 and married to stockbroker Albert Young.[10][13] The Youngs had three children: Albert, Lewis, and Edna.[10] Minnie Young was a scion of the prominent Arents family in Richmond, Virginia; her uncle Lewis Ginter was the founder of the American Tobacco Company, while her sister Grace Arents was a Richmond philanthropist.[15] Minnie was widowed when Albert died in 1895.[10][13] When Minnie's uncle Lewis died two years later, he left her a substantial bequest.[10]

Residence

In 1899, John and Elizabeth Kearny sold two lots at 17 and 19 East 54th Street to Minnie Young.[16] That March, Young commissioned Hiss and Weekes to design an upscale residence.[17] The architects selected the Italian Renaissance Revival style for its classical design attributes.[8] The house was officially completed in the next year,[13][18] but it went relatively unnoticed afterward. According to a 1990 article in The New York Times, the building was last mentioned in a print publication in 1900, when the American Architect and Building News ran a picture with a caption that denoted its client as a "Mr. Young".[13]

Minnie Young initially lived in the house with her son Lewis and sister Johanna Arents, as well as a variety of servants.[13][19] Minnie and Johanna's brother George Arents also lived in the house for a short time.[19] The New York Times wrote that the servants included a "butler, cook, laundress, kitchen maid, [and] parlor maid", as well as Pleasant Read, a "hallman".[13] The house hosted events such as the wedding of Edna Young to Alfred E. Dieterich in April 1900,[20] as well as a fundraiser of the Junior Auxiliary to the New York Diet Kitchen Association in 1913.[21] The surrounding neighborhood rapidly became a commercial zone after World War I, and Minnie Young moved to 420 Park Avenue in 1920, though she retained ownership of the house until her death in 1933.[18]

Mid-20th century

In November 1920, Young leased the house to Lucille Ltd. for twenty-one years.[22][23] The firm, headed by dressmaker Lady Duff Gordon, catered to upper-class clients.[24] The next month, Mott B. Schmidt filed plans to remove partitions, add rooms, and rearrange spaces in the building for $20,000.[25] Schmidt turned the house into a showroom.[13][26] By March 1921, the renovations were complete and Lucille was paying $50,000 annually in rent.[27] A little more than one year after the lease was signed, in March 1922, Lucille's creditors forced the company into receivership.[28][29] Lucille's attorney characterized the "embarrassment of the company" (as it was described in The New York Times) as being partially caused by the relocation to 19 East 54th Street.[29]

Starting in 1925, the house was leased for a long term to a client represented by Augustus H. Skillin.[30][31] The client in question was English antiques collector Arthur S. Vernay,[18] whose company sold antiques and decorative artworks.[32][33] Vernay bought the house outright from the estate of Minnie Young in 1933; at the time, the building was valued at about $450,000 for taxation purposes.[34] The purchase reportedly was made for $312,500, but this value was not confirmed.[35] During the 1930s, the Vernay gallery was used for multiple events, such as a show of English antique furniture,[36] a needle-art show with work by artists such as former U.S. first lady Edith Roosevelt,[37][38] a Tibetan-artifact exhibition to benefit a children's school,[39] and an exhibition of English clockmakers' art. The house was sold in September 1937 to Frederick Brown,[40] who resold it to Charles S. Noyes.[41][42] Though Vernay retired in 1941, the business continued to operate at 19 East 54th Street.[18] The house was acquired by the Bank for Savings in May 1941.[43]

The building was sold in 1943 to the

property title in the purchase.[45] The ESU's new headquarters opened in May 1944.[46][47] The building had enough space for the ESU's offices, including those of the United Nations Officers Club, Committee for Overseas Children, and War Relief Workroom.[18] In addition, the building was used for events, such as exhibits of British veterans' products,[48] early-20th century English art,[49] and a needlework tapestry in memory of the Battle of Britain.[50]

The ESU ultimately sold the building in 1956 to Henry Payson[18] and relocated the next year to a new home on 69th Street.[51][52] The sale was not finalized until 1958 because of a lawsuit over delays in the sale.[18][53] Payson had initially refused to take the title because of these delays, saying that the building's entrance portico and underground vaults projected slightly into the street. The New York Supreme Court ruled that the ESU was entitled to demand specific performance; namely, Payson was obligated to take the title.[53]

Late 20th century to present

Detail of the upper stories of the facade
Upper story detail

Mr. Kenneth signed a 50-year lease in the building in 1962,[54][55] backed by salon-and-beauty-supply firm Glemby Company.[12] After Billy Baldwin renovated the interior, the salon officially opened on March 4, 1963.[12][56] It had a wig boutique and special cold storage for fur coats on the first floor; drying rooms on the second floor; washing and styling rooms on the third floor; and massage rooms, steam baths, waxing chambers, whirlpool spas, and a Pilates studio on the fourth floor.[12][54] Clients could have manicures and pedicures while being served lunch or tea, and a Mercedes car was on call to bring clients to the salon or take them home afterward. Some women would drop in simply for lunch, or to sit and leaf through magazines while enjoying the relaxed, club-like atmosphere.[12]

By 1985, the salon was starting to become aged. That year, it was closed for one month and the house was renovated for $1.3 million.[12][14] The main room's furniture was redesigned and a pedicure room was added.[14] Part of the main floor was subdivided for a men's division, with specially designed chairs.[57] A New York Times article describing the 1985 renovation referred to Mr. Kenneth as an "institution".[14] The salon burned down on May 16, 1989, when a fire arose on the third floor and ultimately destroyed the rear of the second and third floors. The fire was extinguished after four hours with the help of 125 firefighters.[12][58] The damage was extensive enough to uncover large portions of the original decoration work.[13] As a result of the fire, Kenneth Salon relocated to the Palace Hotel.[12][59] Kenneth said later, "There had never been anything like [the 54th Street salon] before, and nothing like it will ever exist again."[12]

For over a year, the house sat empty and no restoration work was performed. The owner of 19 East 54th Street, Donald J. Gordon, was planning to rebuild the house, and Kenneth Salon's lease was effectively terminated. While Kenneth Salon's lease ran until 2010, a "fire or earthquake" clause allowed the owner of a severely damaged building to end a lease if they wished to demolish or rebuild it.[12][13] Gordon spent $1.2 million to refurbish the interior, adding an elevator and mechanical areas[59] to designs by Emery Roth & Sons.[59] The existing stories were extended to the rear and a sixth story was added.[59][60] Gordon then sought a tenant who could sign a net lease, thereby assuming the maintenance and upkeep costs.[59]

Bank Audi leased the house by 1993; it had initially wanted to buy the house, but the owner did not want to sell it. The wide facade enabled Bank Audi to add offices and a conference room lit by large windows. In addition, the bank installed its name over the entrance portico.[61] The bank became the InterAudi Bank in 2003.[62] When the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) started considering buildings in Midtown for city landmark status in 2013, including the Minnie Young House, a group of development organizations wrote a report advising against a landmark designation for the house, saying it was "now isolated and lacks the context that would enhance its value".[63] In mid-2016, the LPC proposed protecting twelve buildings in East Midtown, including 19 East 54th Street, in advance of proposed changes to the area's zoning.[64] On November 22, 2016, the LPC designated 19 East 54th Street and ten other nearby buildings as city landmarks.[65][66]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, p. 1.
  2. ^ a b "19 East 54 Street, 10022". New York City Department of City Planning. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "John Peirce Residence" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. June 23, 2009. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Stokes, Isaac Newton Phelps (1915). "The iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909 : compiled from original sources and illustrated by photo-intaglio reproductions of important maps, plans, views, and documents in public and private collections". p. 67. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2
    .
  6. OCLC 40698653
    .
  7. ^ Atlas of the city of New York: embracing all territory within its corporate limits from official records, private plans & actual surveys. E. Robinson & R.H. Pidgeon. 1885. plate 21. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via NYPL Digital Collections.
  8. ^ a b c d Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, p. 4.
  9. ^ a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, p. 2.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, p. 5.
  11. ^ Sturgis, Russell (July 1900). "The Art Gallery of the New York Streets" (PDF). Architectural Record. Vol. 10. p. 105. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Collins, Amy Fine (May 14, 2003). "'Mr. Kenneth' Battelle: The Hairdresser Who Styled Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and Katharine Hepburn". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  13. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  14. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "Major Ginter's Last Niece Is Taken By Death". The Times Dispatch. October 21, 1931. p. 4. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Conveyances; Borough of Manhattan". The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 63, no. 1616. March 4, 1899. p. 380. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021 – via columbia.edu.
  17. ProQuest 95699532
    .
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, p. 6.
  19. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, pp. 5–6.
  20. ProQuest 95984567
    – via newspapers.com.
  21. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  22. ^ "Real Estate News, Notes and Gossip". New York Herald. November 22, 1920. p. 19. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ProQuest 98112810
    .
  24. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  25. ^ "Plans for Building Alterations; Manhattan". The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 106, no. 26. December 25, 1920. p. 873. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021 – via columbia.edu.
  26. ^ "Plans for Building Alterations; Manhattan". The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 106, no. 25. December 18, 1920. p. 850. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021 – via columbia.edu.
  27. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  28. ^ "Lucile, Ltd. Forced Into Bankruptcy". New York Herald. March 21, 1922. p. 4. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  29. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  30. ProQuest 1112916640
    .
  31. ProQuest 103459079
    .
  32. ^ "The Business Papers of Arthur S. Vernay, Inc". The Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  33. ^ "Arthur S Vernay » Antique Dealers » Antiques Dealers". Antiques Dealers. October 25, 1960. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  34. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  35. ^
    ProQuest 106514680
    .
  36. ProQuest 240060414
    .
  37. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  38. ProQuest 1330100801
    .
  39. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  40. ProQuest 1249389795
    .
  41. ProQuest 1223325215
    .
  42. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  43. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  44. ProQuest 1267891347
    .
  45. ProQuest 106640228
    .
  46. ProQuest 1322402439
    .
  47. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  48. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  49. ProQuest 1336727023
    .
  50. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  51. ProQuest 1325596588
    .
  52. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  53. ^ a b English Speaking Union v. Payson, 11 Misc. 2d 669 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1958).
  54. ^
    ISBN 9780470893579. Archived
    from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  55. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  56. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  57. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  58. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  59. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  60. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, pp. 6–7.
  61. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  62. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 2016, p. 7.
  63. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  64. ^ Hurowitz, Noah (May 10, 2016). "12 Midtown East Buildings Are Up for Landmark Consideration, City Says". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  65. ^ Bindelglass, Evan (November 23, 2016). "Eleven New Landmarks Designated in Midtown East". New York YIMBY. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  66. ^ "12 of NYC's Newest Landmarked Designated Buildings in Midtown". Untapped New York. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.

Sources

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=19_East_54th_Street&oldid=1154799180"