East 78th Street Houses
Encyclopedia
The East 78th Street Houses are a row of five attached brick houses on that street in Manhattan
, New York, United States. They are the remainder of an original group of 11 built in 1861, when the area was originally being developed due to the extension of rail transit into it.
As a result, they are among the oldest townhouses on the Upper East Side
. Some of them have been added onto, and the two easternmost were combined into a single unit. They retain enough historical integrity that they were designated a New York City Landmark in 1968, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
. The neighborhood is residential, consisting of similar, often larger, rowhouses and apartment buildings. It is just outside the Upper East Side Historic District
, and on the southern edge of Yorkville
.
They are on lots
18 feet (5.5 m) wide by 102 feet (31.1 m) deep, although the buildings themselves only cover the front 40 feet (12.2 m). They are two stories high, with exposed basements giving them the appearance of three and a main entrance below street level. The westernmost house, 157, has had a slate-shingled
mansard roof
with three gable
d dormer windows added. At the east end, 163 and 165 have been combined into one house, with a penthouse
on the roof.
All the houses share some identical decoration, painted white on the western three and black or unpainted on 163–65. A brownstone
belt course
runs across all five between the basement and first story, unpainted on 163–65. The plain lintels, also brownstone, are similarly decorated. The pressed metal cornice
at the roofline is the same on all five, supported by rounded consoles faced in acanthus leaves and decorated
with round modillions. It has been painted black on 163–165 and white on the other three, as have the window muntins.
The windows on 157's first story are protected by decorative iron grilles. Its entrance door is glazed rather than painted white. The iron fencing around the terrace is taller than that at 159 next door, and identical to that at 163–65.
, supplemented by horse cars of the Third Avenue Railway
after 1852 made what was then the village of Yorkville
attractive to developers, as its horse cars brought the suburb within commuting distance of the commercial heart of New York, which was still concentrated below 14th Street. The city was already rapidly expanding northward, and wealthy residents had built many large mansions constructed along Fifth Avenue up to 42nd Street
.
In 1860 few of the streets north of 42nd had been graded. But East 78th was opened that year, and a painter named John Turner bought lots
24–28. Since land was getting more expensive, the houses were narrower than their Federal and Greek Revival
counterparts built earlier in the century; unlike grander row housing built since the 1840s, they continued to use brick instead of the more expensive brownstone
.
Builder Henry Armstrong erected the original row of 11 on the property as speculative housing the next year, 1861. They found willing buyers for whom the lower costs offset the longer commutes. All were finished within that year, making the five survivors the oldest townhouses on the Upper East Side today, beating out this six at 208-218 East 78th
, which were part of an original row of 15 started in 1861 but not finished for four years due to material shortages caused by the Civil War
.
Later in the 19th century, the mansard roof
emblematic of the Second Empire style was added to 157. In 1911 a third story, slightly recessed, was added to the top of 163–65 and the two separate houses were merged. Later in the 20th century the other houses were demolished
to clear the way for the larger apartment buildings now on those lots. The original stoops
were removed and the former service entrances became the main ones. There have otherwise been no alterations and all five remain private homes.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York, United States. They are the remainder of an original group of 11 built in 1861, when the area was originally being developed due to the extension of rail transit into it.
As a result, they are among the oldest townhouses on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
. Some of them have been added onto, and the two easternmost were combined into a single unit. They retain enough historical integrity that they were designated a New York City Landmark in 1968, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
Buildings
The row is located at 157–165 East 78th, on the north side of the street between Third and Lexington avenues. It is closer to the Lexington intersection at the west end of the blockCity block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
. The neighborhood is residential, consisting of similar, often larger, rowhouses and apartment buildings. It is just outside the Upper East Side Historic District
Upper East Side Historic District
Upper East Side Historic District is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Its boundaries were increased in 2006....
, and on the southern edge of Yorkville
Yorkville, Manhattan
Yorkville is a neighborhood in the greater Upper East Side, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 72nd Street to the south. However, its southern boundary is a subject of...
.
They are on lots
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
18 feet (5.5 m) wide by 102 feet (31.1 m) deep, although the buildings themselves only cover the front 40 feet (12.2 m). They are two stories high, with exposed basements giving them the appearance of three and a main entrance below street level. The westernmost house, 157, has had a slate-shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
with three gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d dormer windows added. At the east end, 163 and 165 have been combined into one house, with a penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
on the roof.
All the houses share some identical decoration, painted white on the western three and black or unpainted on 163–65. A brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
belt course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
runs across all five between the basement and first story, unpainted on 163–65. The plain lintels, also brownstone, are similarly decorated. The pressed metal cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
at the roofline is the same on all five, supported by rounded consoles faced in acanthus leaves and decorated
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
with round modillions. It has been painted black on 163–165 and white on the other three, as have the window muntins.
The windows on 157's first story are protected by decorative iron grilles. Its entrance door is glazed rather than painted white. The iron fencing around the terrace is taller than that at 159 next door, and identical to that at 163–65.
History
The opening of the New York and Harlem RailroadNew York and Harlem Railroad
The New York and Harlem Railroad was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly also the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and 1852 between Lower Manhattan to and beyond Harlem...
, supplemented by horse cars of the Third Avenue Railway
Third Avenue Railway
The Third Avenue Railway System was a street railroad system in New York City in the 19th and early 20th century.-History:The principal company was the Third Avenue Railroad Company from 1853 to 1910, when it was succeeded in reorganization by the Third Avenue Railway Company...
after 1852 made what was then the village of Yorkville
Yorkville, Manhattan
Yorkville is a neighborhood in the greater Upper East Side, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 72nd Street to the south. However, its southern boundary is a subject of...
attractive to developers, as its horse cars brought the suburb within commuting distance of the commercial heart of New York, which was still concentrated below 14th Street. The city was already rapidly expanding northward, and wealthy residents had built many large mansions constructed along Fifth Avenue up to 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
.
In 1860 few of the streets north of 42nd had been graded. But East 78th was opened that year, and a painter named John Turner bought lots
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
24–28. Since land was getting more expensive, the houses were narrower than their Federal and Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
counterparts built earlier in the century; unlike grander row housing built since the 1840s, they continued to use brick instead of the more expensive brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
.
Builder Henry Armstrong erected the original row of 11 on the property as speculative housing the next year, 1861. They found willing buyers for whom the lower costs offset the longer commutes. All were finished within that year, making the five survivors the oldest townhouses on the Upper East Side today, beating out this six at 208-218 East 78th
Houses at 208-218 East 78th Street
The houses at 208–218 East 78th Street in Manhattan, New York, United States, are a group of six attached brick rowhouses built during the early 1860s...
, which were part of an original row of 15 started in 1861 but not finished for four years due to material shortages caused by the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Later in the 19th century, the mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
emblematic of the Second Empire style was added to 157. In 1911 a third story, slightly recessed, was added to the top of 163–65 and the two separate houses were merged. Later in the 20th century the other houses were demolished
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
to clear the way for the larger apartment buildings now on those lots. The original stoops
Urban stoop
In urban architecture, a stoop is a small staircase ending in a platform and leading to the entrance of an apartment building or other building.-Etymology:...
were removed and the former service entrances became the main ones. There have otherwise been no alterations and all five remain private homes.
See also
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 59th to 110th StreetsNational Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 59th to 110th StreetsList of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th StreetsThis is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places between 59th and 110th Streets in Manhattan...