Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House facts for kids
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Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House
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The Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House in 2010
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| Location | 867 Madison Avenue Manhattan, New York City |
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| Built | 1895–98 |
| Architect | Kimball & Thompson |
| Architectural style | French Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002727 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1980 |
The Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House is a beautiful old mansion in New York City. It's located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, at the corner of Madison Avenue and East 72nd Street. This grand house was finished in 1898. It was designed by the architecture firm Kimball & Thompson, with a lot of the work credited to Alexander Mackintosh. Even though it was built for Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo, a wealthy heiress, she never actually lived in it!
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What Does It Look Like?
The mansion's design was inspired by the amazing castles, called chateaux, found in the Loire Valley in France. It looks a bit like a fortress, even though it's in the middle of New York City.
Special Design Features
An architecture expert named Henry Hope Reed Jr. once said that the house's roof is really special. It has a high, pointed roof made of slate, with fancy windows called dormers. The tall chimneys also add to its unique look.
The building has a mix of old styles. It uses Gothic elements in its roof and chimneys. It also has early Renaissance details, especially around the middle dormer windows. These parts have small columns, decorative tops, and other fancy designs. Even the chimneys have a cool diamond pattern!
Inside the Mansion
The first floor of the house had a big central hall. Rooms on this floor were used for welcoming guests and for servants to work.
The second floor was where the main living room, dining room, and a butler's pantry were located. This was a very important floor for entertaining.
The third floor held the master bedroom, which was the main bedroom for the owner. The fourth floor had rooms for guests and for the servants who lived in the house.
A House with a Long History
Even though Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo had the house built, she never moved in. She was a bit unusual and preferred to live in a house right across the street. So, the beautiful mansion stayed empty for many years, until 1921.
New Uses for the Building
In 1921, the first floor of the mansion was changed into stores. The upper four floors were divided into two apartments. Over the years, different businesses used the building. These included an antique shop, the famous Christie's auction house, and even a restaurant owned by Zabar's, a well-known New York food store.
A Photographer's Home and Studio
In the late 1940s, a photographer named Edgar de Evia rented a large apartment on the fourth and fifth floors. He lived there with his business partner, Robert Denning, and his mother. This became his home for more than 15 years.
Later, in the 1950s, de Evia and Denning took over the whole building as landlords. They used the entire third floor for de Evia's photography studios. Their apartment on the fourth floor had a living room, dining room, and a ballroom. The top floor, the fifth floor, had the master bedroom and servants' rooms.
Offices on the second floor were rented out to interior designers. The shops on the street level included a pharmacy and a flower shop.
Changes and New Owners
In 1963, Edgar de Evia made the fifth floor his own home. The 10 rooms on the fourth floor were then rented to a restaurant owner named Larry Ellman.
The building's ownership changed several times. From 1967 to the early 1980s, a nearby church used the top two floors for their offices.
Ralph Lauren's Flagship Store
In 1983, the famous fashion designer Ralph Lauren took over the lease of the building. He started a huge project to completely redesign the mansion. He wanted to turn it into his main Ralph Lauren store.
The renovation was supervised by Naomi Leff and took about 18 months. It cost a lot of money, around $14 to $15 million! The building's value has also grown a lot. It sold for $6.4 million in 1984, then $43 million in 1989, and a record $80 million in 2005.
The Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House is an important building. It was named a New York City Landmark in 1976. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, which means it's a very special historic place in the United States.
Gallery
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Detail of the building's top
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Detail of the building's facade
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Dining room in the de Evia home in the Rhinelander Mansion in the 1950s
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Lisa Fonssagrives in a photograph taken by Edgar de Evia in the Rhinelander Mansion
See also
In Spanish: Casa de Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo para niños
