Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

53rd Street 53rd Street is a Midtown Manhattan, midtown cross street in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, that runs adjacent to buildings such as the Citigroup Center, Citigroup building. It is 1.83 miles (2.94 km) ...

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

Griffith Thomas Griffith Thomas (1820—1879) was an American architect. He partnered with his father, Thomas Thomas, at the architecture firm of T. Thomas and Son.Tudor-inspired

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style in 1906 by Raleigh C. Gildersleeve. The house had originally been designed as a four-story brownstone townhouse with a stoop, a raised basement, and a flat roof behind a galvanized-iron

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

. The present appearance of the house is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

structure designed in the Tudor-inspired

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. The asymmetrical facade contains two vertical

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

, with a large main entrance on the left (east) bay and a triangular

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

on the right (west) bay. The interior floors of Thomas's original design were substantially altered to allow the three middle stories to have tall ceilings. The house was constructed for banking executive Charles Moran as a

rowhouse In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

with a

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

facade, and a rear extension was constructed in the 1880s. The house was remodeled for

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

and Mary Fisk, who bought the house in 1905. The Fisks sold it four years later to

William Harkness William Harkness (December 17, 1837 – February 28, 1903) was an astronomer. He was born at Ecclefechan, Scotland, a son of James (1803–78) and Jane (née Wield) Harkness. His father was a pastor and moved the family to the United States. H ...

and his wife Edith Harkness, the latter of whom sold the house in 1923. The house was then used for commercial tenants including art dealer Proctor & Company, the

Automobile Club of America The Automobile Club of America was the first automobile club formed in America in 1899. The club was dissolved in 1932 following the Great Depression and declining membership. History On June 7, 1899, a group of gentlemen auto racers met at the W ...

, and art dealer Symons Galleries. Since 1964 the building has been owned by

LIM College LIM College is a private for-profit college in Midtown Manhattan focused on the business of fashion. LIM College offers master's, bachelor's, and associate degree programs in fashion-focused majors with an emphasis on the connection between rea ...

. The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

designated the house as an official landmark in 2010.

Site

12 East 53rd Street is in the

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It is along the southern sidewalk of 55th Street between

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

and

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue – also known as Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers, p.24 – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown". It is commercial ...

. The

land lot In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the same thing) in ...

is slightly irregular and covers , with a

frontage Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...

of and a maximum depth of . The western section of the house extends only deep and is wide, while the eastern section of the house extends the full depth and is wide. The house is overhung by the adjacent office building at 510 Madison Avenue, finished in 2010. The house is across the street from

Paley Park Paley Park is a pocket park located at 3 East 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on the former site of the Stork Club. Designed by the landscape architectural firm of Zion Breen Richardson Associat ...

to the north and is on the same city block as the

Omni Berkshire Place The Omni Berkshire Place hotel is located at 21 East 52nd Street, near Madison Avenue, in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is owned and operated by Omni Hotels & Resorts. The hotel was also inducted into Historic Hotels of America, the of ...

hotel to the southeast. Other nearby locations include

660 Fifth Avenue 660 Fifth Avenue (formerly 666 Fifth Avenue and the Tishman Building) is a 41-story office building on the west side of Fifth Avenue between 52nd Street (Manhattan), 52nd and 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Streets in the Midtown Manhattan neigh ...

to the west; the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

(MoMA) to the northwest; the William H. Moore House to the north; the

DuMont Building The DuMont Building (also known as 515 Madison Avenue) is a 532-foot (162 m) high, 42-story building located at 53rd Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan.Hotel Elysée The Hotel Elysée is a New York City hotel on 60 East 54th Street between Madison and Park Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. The hotel was founded in 1926 as a European-style hotel for the carriage trade by Swiss-born Max Haering. History Hotel Elys ...

to the northeast;

488 Madison Avenue 488 Madison Avenue, also known as the Look Building, is a 25-story office building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is along Madison Avenue's western sidewalk between 51st and 52nd Streets, near St. Patrick's Cathedr ...

and the John Peirce Residence to the south; and the

Olympic Tower Olympic Tower is a 51-story, building at 641 and 645 Fifth Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the mixed-use development contains ...

,

Cartier Building The Cartier Building, also 653 Fifth Avenue, is a commercial building on the southeast corner of 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The building serves as the flagship store of Cartier in New Y ...

, and

647 Fifth Avenue 647 Fifth Avenue, originally known as the George W. Vanderbilt Residence, is a commercial building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is along the east side of Fifth Avenue between 51st Street and 52nd Street. The build ...

to the southwest. Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and

Central Park South 59th Street is a crosstown street in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, running from York Avenue and Sutton Place on the East Side (Manhattan), East Side of Manhattan to the West Side Highway on the West Side (Manha ...

(59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century. The surrounding area was once part of the common lands of the city of New York. The

Commissioners' Plan of 1811 The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 was the original design for the streets of Manhattan above Houston Street and below 155th Street, which put in place the rectangular grid plan of streets and lots that has defined Manhattan on its march uptown u ...

established Manhattan's

street grid In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogona ...

with lots measuring deep and wide. Upscale residences were constructed around Fifth Avenue following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The block of East 53rd Street from Fifth to Madison Avenues was only sporadically developed until the late 1870s, and it had brownstone residences by 1886.

Architecture

The house had originally been designed by

Griffith Thomas Griffith Thomas (1820—1879) was an American architect. He partnered with his father, Thomas Thomas, at the architecture firm of T. Thomas and Son.T. Thomas & Son, as a four-story brownstone townhouse with a stoop, raised basement, and a flat roof behind a galvanized-iron

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

. The present appearance of the house was designed by Raleigh Colston Gildersleeve for businessman Harvey Edward Fisk. The current house is six stories tall, with a limestone facade designed in the Tudor-inspired

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. The interior floors of Thomas's original design were substantially altered to allow the three middle stories to have tall ceilings. The building is known as "the Townhouse", part of the campus of

LIM College LIM College is a private for-profit college in Midtown Manhattan focused on the business of fashion. LIM College offers master's, bachelor's, and associate degree programs in fashion-focused majors with an emphasis on the connection between rea ...

.

Facade

The building's 53rd Street facade is asymmetrical and is divided into two vertical

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

. At ground level, the main entrance portal is a four-centered arch in the left bay, which includes a wood-and-metal double door. The main entrance is topped by a

crocket A crocket (or croquet) is a small, independent decorative element common in Gothic architecture. The name derives from the diminutive of the French ''croc'', meaning "hook", due to the resemblance of crockets to a bishop's crosier. Description ...

ed molding and flanked by stepped

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...

es. The right bay contains a show window above a metal grille, which dates to a 1922 renovation. The far right portion of the facade has a secondary entrance with a metal-and-glass door. In the initial design, the house's entrance on a stoop slightly above ground. as in other rowhouses, and the stoop was placed on one side of the facade. The second through fourth stories generally contain leaded-glass windows as well as vertical stone

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

s and horizontal stone transoms. On the second story, the eastern (left) bay is topped by tracery, while the western (right) bay contains a window inside a

Tudor arch A four-centered arch is a low, wide type of arch with a pointed apex. Its structure is achieved by drafting two arcs which rise steeply from each springing point on a small radius, and then turning into two arches with a wide radius and much lower ...

. The stone tracery, mullions, and transoms on the right bay of the second story have been removed. A flagpole projects from the center of the second story. On the third and fourth stories, the left bay has simpler windows than the right bay, which is placed within a two-story

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found pro ...

. The fifth story has a

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

and balcony on the left bay, behind which is a flat copper roof and a

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

window. On the fifth story, the right bay has a gable with two dormer windows, above which is a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

and

crenellation A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

s; the right bay is topped by a

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

. The western and eastern facades are

party wall A party wall (occasionally parti-wall or parting wall, also known as common wall or as a demising wall) is a dividing partition between two adjoining buildings that is shared by the occupants of each residence or business. Typically, the builder ...

s that are painted to resemble the limestone facade; the western party wall has a chimney.

Features

According to the

New York City Department of City Planning The Department of City Planning (DCP) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning. The department is responsible for land use and environmental review, p ...

, the building has a gross floor area of . The atypically deep lot allowed the construction of three deep rooms in the rear. The main floor had a large reception room in front, a large music room in the middle, and a dining room at the rear that was lit from all sides. The ceilings of these rooms were about as high as two stories of an average dwelling. The reception room probably had a staircase at the center. The house's other floors had similar high ceilings. The house as a whole was originally designed with Tudor-style furnishings to complement the exterior. When the Fisk family occupied the house, it contained European artifacts such as tapestries, furniture, and paintings, which formed an atmosphere that historian

Andrew Dolkart Andrew Scott Dolkart is a professor of Historic Preservation at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and the former Director of the school's Historic Preservation Program. Professor Dolkart is ...

describes as "olde English". These objects also served as a symbol of the Fisks' cultural tastes and wealth. When the building was converted into a clubhouse for the

Automobile Club of America The Automobile Club of America was the first automobile club formed in America in 1899. The club was dissolved in 1932 following the Great Depression and declining membership. History On June 7, 1899, a group of gentlemen auto racers met at the W ...

in 1925, the second story was redesigned as a restaurant and the decorative ceiling was kept. The third floor was refitted as the lounge, library, card rooms, and a large sitting room. The fourth story was arranged with men's and women's baths, lockers, and dressing rooms. The basement had the general supply department; the main floors had the touring, supply, and map departments; and the upper stories had executive offices. The house was renovated into the showroom of art dealer Symons Galleries in 1938; tapestries, paintings, porcelains, bronze objects, Gothic art, and Renaissance jewelry were displayed in different rooms. One room with carved oak and a stone mantel was devoted to Jacobean culture, while another was devoted to French culture.

History

Early history

The site of 12 East 53rd Street was acquired in 1871 by Charles Moran, member of the banking firm Moran Brothers. In June 1871, he bought a lot on the south side of 53rd Street about east of Fifth Avenue, with a frontage of and a depth of . The next month, Moran acquired a lot immediately to the west, measuring , and an adjacent lot at 11 East

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...

, measuring . Moran intended to use the lots along 52nd Street for his horse stables. Griffith Thomas was hired to design a four-story brownstone townhouse for Moran on 53rd Street. The house's site originally measured . During the mid-1880s, the lot's depth was extended by . This allowed the construction of a rear annex. LIM College Townhouse 12E53 jeh

Moran died at his house in 1895 and bequeathed his estate to his widow Arabella and four children. The following March, Douglas Robinson & Co. sold Moran's 53rd Street house as well as his 52nd Street stables. The house was then occupied by Walter G. Oakman. When the Oakman family lived in the house, it hosted events such as an annual meeting for the Society of Colonial Dames of the State of New York, as well as a discussion of political affairs in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. The executors of the Moran estate sold the house in 1899. Architecture firm Hert & Tallant filed plans for renovations in 1902, which were projected to cost $5,000. Oakman was reported to have sold the house in May 1905. Around the same time, the ownership of the house at 12 East 53rd Street and the stables at 11 East 52nd Street was split, and the lot line between the two buildings was shifted about south.

Fisk and Harkness residence

Harvey Edward Fisk and his wife Mary Fisk were recorded in June 1905 as the new owners of the house. They hired Raleigh Colston Gildersleeve to renovate the house extensively, as well as to design a country estate in

Elberon, New Jersey Elberon is an unincorporated community that is part of Long Branch in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07740. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for ZIP ...

. Plans for the renovation, projected to cost $25,000, were filed in November 1905. The improvements included extending the building forward by ; adding a story to the rear; and installing new stairs, an electric elevator, a new facade, and an interior structure. The facade was redesigned in the neo-Tudor style with Gothic design elements. Contracts for the work had not been awarded at the time. Work started in January 1906 and was completed that August. The Fisk family lived in the house for only four years before they had to sell it to raise money. The building was sold in October 1909 to lawyer

William L. Harkness William Lamon Harkness (August 8, 1858 – May 10, 1919) was an American businessman and inheritor of a large share of Standard Oil. Early life William Lamon Harkness was born in Bellevue, Ohio, the son of Daniel M. Harkness, who was the half-br ...

, a cousin of

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

executive

Edward Harkness Edward Stephen Harkness (January 22, 1874 – January 29, 1940) was an American philanthropist. Given privately and through his family's Commonwealth Fund, Harkness' gifts to private hospitals, art museums, and educational institutions in the Nort ...

, along with William's wife Edith. The price was recorded as being either $375,000 or $400,000. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the building as "one of the finest residences in the Fifth Avenue section". The Harkness family hosted events at the house, including a fundraising benefit for a nursery and a

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

event for William and Edith's daughter Louise. William Harkness died at his country house in

Glen Cove, New York Glen Cove is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Nassau County, New York, United States, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island. At the 2020 United States Census, the city population was 28,365 as of th ...

, in 1919. He left half of his estate, including the 12 East 53rd Street house and the Glen Cove country house, to Edith. Their children Louise and William Hale Harkness received the other half of the estate.

Commercial uses

William L Harkness house 12 east 53rd st

In November 1921, the 12 East 53rd Street house was sold to art dealer Proctor & Company. Edith Harkness had been asking $400,000 for the property. Proctor & Company planned extensive alterations to the house before it moved in. Proctor & Company may have removed the original tracery and added a show window during this renovation. The company occupied 12 East 53rd Street for only two years before selling it in December 1923 to the

Automobile Club of America The Automobile Club of America was the first automobile club formed in America in 1899. The club was dissolved in 1932 following the Great Depression and declining membership. History On June 7, 1899, a group of gentlemen auto racers met at the W ...

, which planned to renovate the building into their clubhouse. The Fisk–Harkness House had , which represented an increase of over the club's existing space in the automobile district south of

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South ( West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the so ...

. Furthermore, 12 East 53rd Street was close to several other clubhouses along Fifth Avenue, including those of the University Club, Union Club, Calumet Club,

Knickerbocker Club The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most aristocratic gentlemen's clubs in th ...

, and

Metropolitan Club The Metropolitan Club of New York is a private social club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded as a gentlemen's club in 1891 for men only, but it was one of the first major clubs in New York to admit women, t ...

. The Automobile Club of America received a $190,000 mortgage on the building in early 1924. After undergoing $100,000 worth of renovations, the clubhouse was dedicated in April 1925. The clubhouse was among the locations where New York license plates were distributed. Events hosted at the house included a luncheon with a

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

Non-Partisan Association official, an annual session of the National Highway Traffic Administration, as well as

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

games and tea dances. The club had a peak membership of 6,000, but following the

Great Depression in the United States In the United States, the Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 and then spread worldwide. The nadir came in 1931–1933, and recovery came in 1940. The stock market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high un ...

, several thousand members left the club. As a result, in January 1932, the Automobile Club's governors voted to dissolve the club. The building was placed for sale at a foreclosure auction that August, and it was sold to the

Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (also known as Mutual of New York or MONY) was the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the United States. Incorporated in 1842, it was headquartered at 1740 Broadway, before becoming a wh ...

for $50,000. 12 East 53rd Street might have been vacant for six years after the foreclosure sale. In August 1937, an apartment in the building was leased to Lucile Cody. The house was then leased in February 1938 to art dealer Symons Galleries Inc. The art dealer moved into the building that May after an extensive renovation. The stone mullions and transoms on the second-story window may have been removed during this time. By 1940, the upper floors were redesigned with apartments. The Mutual Life Insurance Company continued to own the building. The structures at 4 to 12 East 53rd Street, as well as the Frances Building at the southeast corner of 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue, were acquired in November 1943 by

Robert W. Dowling Robert W. Dowling (September 9, 1895 – August 28, 1973) was a real estate investor and philanthropist in the New York City area. Dowling College was named for him. Biography Robert Whittle Dowling was born in New York City. His father Robert Em ...

of the City Investing Company. Advertising agency Maxon Inc. purchased the building from Dowling in December 1948, intending to use the structure for its own offices. Symons Galleries sold off its products in May 1949 in preparation for its relocation to smaller quarters. Maxon Inc. moved into 12 East 53rd Street in January 1950 while renovations were still ongoing. Maxon Inc. continued to occupy the building until November 1964, when it sold the house to the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising, later LIM College. The college intended to renovate the building for its own use. LIM moved into the building afterward and continued to occupy it for the rest of the 20th century. 12 East 53rd Street became known as "the Townhouse", and LIM continued to occupy the house even after buying other structures for its campus in the 2000s. The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

designated the building as a landmark in 2011. , the house still serves as a LIM College building.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * {{portal bar, Architecture, New York City 1871 establishments in New York (state) 1906 establishments in New York City Midtown Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Residential buildings completed in 1871 Residential buildings completed in 1906 Residential buildings in Manhattan Harkness family

Site

Architecture

Facade

Features

History

Early history

Fisk and Harkness residence

Commercial uses

See also

References

Citations

Sources