Henry Clay Frick House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henry Clay Frick House |
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The main facade on Fifth Avenue
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| Alternative names | Frick House, Frick Collection |
| General information | |
| Type | Mansion |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Address | 1 East 70th Street |
| Town or city | New York, NY 10021 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°46′17″N 73°58′02″W / 40.7713°N 73.9673°W |
| Current tenants | Frick Collection |
| Construction started | 1912 |
| Completed | 1914 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Hastings |
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Henry Clay Frick House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in New York City
Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Area | 1.26 acres (0.51 ha) |
| Part of | Upper East Side Historic District (ID84002803) |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001091 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 6, 2008 |
| Designated NHL | October 6, 2008 |
| Designated CP | September 7, 1984 |
The Henry Clay Frick House is a famous mansion and museum in New York City. It's also known as the Frick Collection building. Located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it was once the home of a rich industrialist named Henry Clay Frick. Today, it holds the amazing Frick Collection art museum and the Frick Art Reference Library. This building is so important that it's a New York City landmark and a National Historic Landmark.
The house has three stories and is set back from Fifth Avenue by a lovely garden. It's shaped like an "L" and made of limestone. Many parts of the outside have cool carved designs. When it was first built, the first floor was for family gatherings, the second floor had bedrooms, and the third floor was for servants. The basement had service areas. Over time, the first and second floors have been changed into museum spaces for everyone to enjoy.
Henry Clay Frick bought the land in 1906 and 1907. He hired Thomas Hastings to design the house in the Beaux-Arts style. Construction happened between 1912 and 1914. Frick lived there until he passed away in 1919. His wife, Adelaide, and daughter, Helen, stayed until 1931. After some changes, the house opened as the Frick Collection museum in 1935, just as Frick wanted in his will. The building was made a bit bigger in 1977 and 2011. From 2020 to 2024, the house was closed for a big renovation to make the museum even better.
Contents
Where is the Frick House Located?
The Henry Clay Frick House is at 1 East 70th Street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It's between Fifth Avenue and 70th and 71st streets. The land it sits on is quite large, covering about half of its city block. It's about 200 feet long on Fifth Avenue and 275 feet long on the side streets. The mansion itself was originally smaller, taking up about a third of the block.
The area around the Frick House has other townhouses. The mansion is part of Fifth Avenue's "Museum Mile," which has many famous museums. The land used to be part of the Lenox family's farm. Later, it became the Lenox Library. Frick's house now covers the old library site and some land next to it. The rest of the block was sold for other homes.
When Frick built the house, he planted 13 old chestnut trees along Fifth Avenue. He even dug deep into the sidewalk to plant them. Sadly, the trees died because the soil was poisoned by gas. They were replaced with sycamore trees.
Beautiful Gardens
Most of the house is set back 75 feet from Fifth Avenue, behind a beautiful garden. This was different from other large mansions at the time, which were usually built very close to the street. The garden has a stone wall and a fancy iron fence. It was designed with evergreen trees and a small formal garden. Later, magnolia trees were planted. By the late 1900s, the garden had roses, violets, and other colorful flowers. This garden was not often open to the public until the late 2000s.
There's another garden on 70th Street, which was added in 1977. This garden was designed by Russell Page, a famous landscape architect. It's about 60 by 80 feet. Even though it has gravel paths, it was mostly made to be looked at, not walked through. The garden features boxwood, water lilies, quince, and pear trees, plus a central pool. The pool and trees make the garden look bigger than it is.
Originally, there was also a private courtyard at the back of the house. It had a pool with a fountain. This courtyard was removed when the current garden court was built in the 1930s.
How the House Was Built
Thomas Hastings designed the Frick mansion in the Beaux-Arts style. Over the years, the house has been expanded and is now about twice its original size. John Russell Pope designed the entrance on 70th Street and the Frick Art Reference Library building, which were finished in 1935. Later, a one-story addition was built in 1977, and another expansion happened in the 2020s.
The outside of the house is made of Indiana limestone. Frick hired many companies to build the house. The Piccirilli Brothers designed some of the carved decorations, and other artists created the metalwork.
Look and Style
The original house has a limestone outside. It has three main parts: a tall central section and two shorter wings. Fancy carved designs decorate the outer wings. Frick wanted a large art gallery built in the same style as his main house. This gallery wing was placed along 71st Street.
The central part of the house faces the garden on Fifth Avenue. It has a grand entrance with tall columns. The first floor has large blocks of stone and French doors. Above the first floor, a stone band runs across the building. The second-floor windows have railings. The third floor looks like a smaller attic level.
The north wing is called the gallery wing and is 100 feet long. It has columns and arched windows. The side facing 71st Street has columns and stone plaques. Two carved designs called Orpheus and Sculpture are above the arches.
The south wing has two stories and used to be where carriages would drive through (a porte-cochère). The side facing 70th Street has rectangular windows with carved designs. The main entrance to the museum today is at the far eastern end of this wing. It has a beautiful carved design above it. When the house was first built, this entrance was set back from the street and had metal gates.
Later Additions
The Frick Art Reference Library building is on the northeast side of the property. It's also made of limestone and looks like it has six stories. The bottom two stories have large blocks of stone. There's a tall entrance archway in the middle. The upper floors have plain walls with big windows.
On the southeast side is a one-story addition from 1977. It's 34 by 91 feet and also uses Indiana limestone. This addition has French doors that look out onto the garden.
Inside the Mansion
The British decorator Charles Allom helped furnish the first floor. Elsie de Wolfe decorated the other rooms. Famous art dealers like Joseph Duveen helped Frick get paintings and sculptures. Frick's wife and daughter also helped decide where to put the decorations.
The mansion has about 40 rooms, including spaces added when it became a museum. Many surfaces are made of stone, wood, or marble. The walls, even on the upper floors, often have marble. The house has fancy details like carved wood panels and decorative borders. When it became a museum, artworks were placed to fit the house's grand style. There are also skylights that let natural light into some of the art galleries.
First Floor Rooms
The first floor has 16 rooms. The main entrance used to be from the grand portico facing Fifth Avenue. The hallways are arranged in a special way, like a "Z" shape.
In the middle of the house is the living hall, which is 30 by 41 feet. It has oak wood panels and was a gathering space. To the south is the drawing room, known as the Fragonard room. It's named after the large paintings by Jean-Honoré Fragonard and has 18th-century French furniture. To the north is the library room, with wooden panels and bookcases.
Near the south end, the old carriage entrance was changed into the main entrance hall when the house became a museum. This entrance hall has marble walls and a carved ceiling. There's also a grand marble staircase with a fancy iron railing, like one in St Paul's Cathedral in London. A large pipe organ is on the staircase landing. The dining room is in the southwest corner and has wooden panels. A former pantry next to it became the Boucher room after the museum opened.
The gallery wing is 100 feet long and was built to protect the artwork from fire. It has a long skylight and smaller skylights above each painting. A loggia (an open hallway with columns) faces the Fifth Avenue garden. This loggia was enclosed with glass in 2011 to become the portico gallery. Frick's office was next to the west gallery but was removed in the 1930s.
In 1935, a garden court, oval room, music room, and east gallery were added to the north end of the house. The garden court has a marble floor and a glass roof, with a fountain in the middle. The oval room and east gallery have skylights and are decorated with different types of wood. The music room is a round space with a domed skylight and can hold many people. A waiting room was added in 1977, but it was replaced by a larger reception hall in 2018.
Other Floors
The second floor had the family's private rooms, like bedrooms, sitting rooms, and guest rooms. There are 14 rooms on this floor. Henry Frick, his wife Adelaide, and daughter Helen all had bedrooms facing Fifth Avenue. Adelaide's room had fancy French furniture, while Henry's had dark wood. The ceilings of the second-floor hallways have Chinese-style murals.
The third floor was for the servants, with about 27 people living there. When the house became a museum, the second and third floors were first used for staff offices. Later, some of the second-floor rooms were turned into smaller art galleries during a renovation in the early 2020s.
The large basement had the kitchen and service areas. It also had a billiard room and a bowling alley, decorated in a fancy style. The bowling alley was built in 1914. For a while, the Frick Art Reference Library was in the bowling alley. There's also a large concrete storage vault in the basement, built in the 1940s, to keep valuable objects safe. A 220-seat auditorium was added in the basement in the 2020s.
Library Building
The library building has six or seven full stories, with a total of 13 levels if you count the smaller mezzanine floors. Two levels are underground. Most levels are for storing books and are not very tall to make it easier for staff to get books. The library has offices, reading rooms, and a librarian's office. The main reading room on the third floor is large and has marble and wood panels. It even has a carved design showing two dogs that belonged to Helen Frick.
History of the Frick House
Henry Clay Frick became very wealthy from the steel industry. He was also a passionate art collector. In 1905, his family moved to New York City. Frick wanted to build a grand home for his family and his art collection.
Building the Mansion
Buying the Land
Frick wanted the best house, so he looked for a new place after living in a rented mansion. He became interested in the land where the Lenox Library stood. The library was having money problems and wanted to sell its land. In 1906, Frick bought the land for a large sum of money. There were some legal issues because the land was supposed to be only for a library. However, a new law in 1907 allowed the sale. Frick had to wait until the library's books were moved to the new New York Public Library building, which was finished in 1911.
Choosing the Architect
Frick first considered Daniel Burnham to design his house. Burnham even drew up plans for a grand Italian-style palace. However, Frick decided not to hire him. Instead, he chose Thomas Hastings, who had designed the New York Public Library. Hastings was also known for designing the art gallery where Frick bought most of his art. Frick paid Hastings a lot of money for his designs.
Design and Construction
Frick told Hastings that he wanted the house to eventually become a public museum for his art collection. Hastings didn't know this at first. He designed an L-shaped building that was "simple and conservative." Frick officially bought the library land in May 1912, and the old library building was torn down.
Construction started in July 1912. Frick had a budget of $3 million for the house itself. The whole project, including the land, was expected to cost $5.5 million. Hastings had to change the plans several times to stay within budget. The house was supposed to be finished in 18 months. Workers built the foundation, steel frame, and roof quickly.
Frick was very involved in the details. He didn't like some of Hastings's original decoration ideas, like painted ceilings. He hired another decorator, Charles Allom, who suggested simpler designs so the art would stand out. Frick also hired Elsie de Wolfe to help furnish some rooms. By May 1914, the house was almost done. Frick spent a lot of money buying European art and furniture for his new home.
The family planned to move in by September 1914, but there were delays. Frick got sick, and World War I caused shortages of materials and workers. Frick was very upset about the delays. In total, the house was estimated to cost $5 million.
Living in the Mansion
Early Years as a Home
The Frick family moved into the house on November 16, 1914. Henry, his wife Adelaide, and their daughter Helen lived there. Their son, Childs, was already married and didn't live in the house. At the time, the property was worth $3.1 million, making it one of the most valuable homes in the area.
Frick started hosting dinners in early 1915, inviting important people like art collectors and business leaders. He bought more art for the mansion, including famous paintings by Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher. He even changed some rooms to fit his new art. By 1917, 40 paintings were displayed in the house. Frick also collected furniture, carpets, sculptures, and bronzes. He continued to buy art until the end of his life.
During World War I, Frick even offered his house as a hospital if New York City was attacked.
Frick's Death and Museum Plans
In November 1915, Frick bought more land next to his house to expand the art gallery. Hastings drew up plans for a new annex, but Frick stopped the project in 1917 because of the high costs due to the war.
Henry Clay Frick died at the house on December 2, 1919, after living there for five years. His will stated that his art collection should be opened to the public "in due time." He also left $15 million to support the art collection. His wife Adelaide and daughter Helen continued to live in the mansion. Frick's will said that if Adelaide died or moved away, the house would become a public museum.
After Frick died, the people in charge of his estate started the Frick Collection Inc. Helen Frick also started the Frick Art Reference Library in the house's bowling alley. In 1923, a separate library building was built next to the mansion.
Becoming a Museum
When Adelaide Frick died in October 1931, it meant the house could finally become a public museum. Helen Frick moved her things out. The trustees hired John Russell Pope to renovate the mansion in March 1932. Pope's plan included building a glass roof over the back courtyard and creating a new entrance on 70th Street.
The house was closed for two years for the renovations. Almost all the rooms were changed to make them suitable for public visitors. The back courtyard became the enclosed garden court, and the old carriage entrance became the main entrance hall. New rooms like the oval room, music room, and east gallery were added. A special vault was built in the basement to keep the most valuable art safe. The new library building opened in January 1935.
Museum Years (1930s-1970s)
The Frick Collection officially opened to the public on December 16, 1935. The entrance was through the new hall on 70th Street. At first, visitors had to follow a specific path, but this rule was changed later. Many people called the building a "mansion being used as a museum." In 1941, a concrete vault was built under the house to store art and act as a bomb shelter during World War II. The museum also bought two neighboring buildings in the 1940s.
In 1972, the museum bought the Widener House next door, completing its land on 70th Street. They planned to build an addition there. However, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Frick House as a landmark in 1973, which meant changes needed approval. The museum then decided to create a "temporary garden" on the 70th Street lots, which later became permanent. A one-story wing was added in 1977, with lecture rooms, storage, and a waiting room. A new garden on 70th Street, designed by Russell Page, also opened in 1977.
Recent Changes (1980s-Present)
The Frick Collection continued to renovate the house's rooms in the 1980s and 1990s. The outside of the Frick House and the library were cleaned in 1999 and 2000.
In the 2000s, the museum proposed new additions several times, but these plans were canceled. The museum focused on restoring the existing galleries. The Fragonard room, living hall, east gallery, and Boucher room were all refurbished. In 2010, the museum decided to enclose the loggia (the open hallway with columns) to create a new gallery for sculptures. This new gallery opened in December 2011.
In 2014, the museum announced plans for a six-story addition on 70th Street. This would have meant tearing down the 1970s addition and the 70th Street garden. Many people and groups opposed this plan because they wanted to save the garden. In 2015, the museum decided to create a new design. They hired architect Annabelle Selldorf in 2016.
Selldorf's revised plans, announced in 2018, included expanding gallery space, rebuilding Page's garden, and adding a basement auditorium. The plan also involved opening the second floor of the house to the public. The LPC approved these changes.
The house and museum closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum moved to a temporary location while the renovation work began. The renovation included updating the house's electrical, heating, and air conditioning systems. It also restored the library space and added an auditorium and education center. A new special-exhibition space was built. Opening the second floor increased the museum's exhibition space by 25 percent. The Henry Clay Frick House is expected to reopen in late 2024.
Impact and Recognition
Landmark Status
The Frick House was named a New York City landmark in 1973. This happened because the city wanted to protect it from demolition. The landmark status applies to the outside of the building. The Frick House was also named a National Historic Landmark in 2008. It is also part of the Upper East Side Historic District, a historic area in Manhattan.
In Media
The design of the Frick House influenced another building designed by Hastings, called Alder Manor. The house has also been featured in books about its architecture and collections.
Interestingly, Stan Lee, who helped create the Avengers superhero team, said the Frick House was the inspiration for the Avengers Mansion in the comics. The Frick Collection usually doesn't allow movies to be filmed inside. However, in 2012, the movie A Late Quartet was the first to get permission to film inside the house. The mansion has also appeared in TV shows like America's Castles and The Undoing.
See also
