Willard D. Straight House

Willard D. Straight House

The Willard D. Straight House is a mansion at 1130 Fifth Avenue, at 94th Street, in the Carnegie Hill section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The mansion was designed by Delano & Aldrich in the neo-Georgian style and was completed in 1915 as the New York City residence of Willard Dickerman Straight. The mansion is a New York City designated landmark.

History

The house was designed by the firm of Delano & Aldrich in the neo-Georgian style and was completed in 1915. The ground floor of the house is organized around a circular hallway in the 18th-century style topped by a dome, with a patterned black and white marble floor.^[1] The Straight family also owned a complementary building at 162 East 92nd Street, also designed by Delano & Aldrich, that was used as a garage. The second and third floors of this building contained apartments for staff.^[2] Straight died during the influenza epidemic of 1918 and his widow Dorothy Whitney Straight continued to live in the house for several years with her children. She remarried and moved to England but continued to own the house until 1927.^[1]

The house was sold to Judge Elbert H. Gary, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United States Steel Corporation (who had recently sold his home at 956 Fifth Avenue which was demolished to make way for a new apartment building),^[3] who died in the house the same year.^[4] The next owner was Harrison Williams, a utilities investor, and his wife Mona.^[1]

In 1952, the house was sold to the Audubon Society for use as their headquarters, which they called the Audubon House.^[5] The Society left in 1971, In 1974, the building was sold to the International Center of Photography for use as a new museum devoted exclusively to photography with photo‐journalist Cornell Capa as executive director.^[6] The mansion is a New York City designated landmark.^[7]

In 2000, ICP sold the building for $17.5 million to hedge fund founder Bruce Kovner for use as a personal residence.^[8][9] The noise and debris associated with Kovner's years-long conversion of the building back to a residence reportedly caused his neighbors dismay.^[10]

See also

• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets

References

1. Gray, Christopher (October 14, 2001). "Streetscapes/1915 Straight Residence, Until Recently the International Center of Photography; The Northernmost Mansion Built on Fifth Avenue". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
2. Gray, Christopher (June 11, 2009). "A Mansion for Me, Another for My Cars". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
3. "E. H. GARY HOME ON VIEW.; Public Is Being Admitted for the Benefit of a Charity". The New York Times. July 12, 1927. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
4. "VICTIM OF HEART DISEASE; End Comes in New Home on Fifth Avenue After Long Illness. CONSCIOUS TO THE LAST Burial Will Be at Wheaton, III. -Nation's Business Leaders Pay Him Tribute. BUILT UP HUGE INDUSTRY. Served as an Executive 25 Years -- One Estimate Puts His Wealth at $25,000,000". The New York Times. August 16, 1927. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
5. "Audubon Group Buys House on 5th Avenue". The New York Times. July 20, 1952. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
6. Glueck, Grace (May 22, 1974). "New Museum for Photography To Be Headed by Cornell Capa". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
7. "Willard and Dorothy Whitney Straight House". HDC. June 21, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
8. Miller, Tom (April 8, 2011). "The 1915 Willard D. Straight House - No. 1130 Fifth Avenue". Daytonian in Manhattan. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
9. Dunlap, David W. (August 19, 2001). "POSTINGS: International Center of Photography's New Midtown Home; An Underground Minicampus". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
10. Kurutz, Steve (October 5, 2003). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: UPPER EAST SIDE; A Famous Mansion's Face-Lift Gnaws at Neighbors' Raw Nerves". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2020.

Further reading

• Kathrens, Michael C. (2005). Great Houses of New York, 1880-1930. New York: Acanthus Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-926494-34-3.

External links

• The Straight Residence at Beyond the Gilded Age
• The 1915 Willard D. Straight House - No. 1130 Fifth Avenue - an architectural essay

40°47′11.8″N 73°57′22.9″W