John Henry Hammond House facts for kids
The John Henry Hammond House is a big, beautiful house located at 9 East 91st Street in New York City. It's in a fancy part of town called the Upper East Side. Since 1994, this house has been home to the Consulate-General of Russia in New York City, which is like an embassy for Russia in New York.
History of the Hammond House
The story of this house begins with a very rich man named Andrew Carnegie. He bought a lot of land between 90th and 91st Streets, right near Fifth Avenue. In 1901, he built his own huge house there, which is now the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. To protect his investment, Mr. Carnegie bought even more land nearby. He ended up owning the entire north side of 91st Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue.
Mr. Carnegie then sold parts of this land to people who promised to build impressive homes. In 1903, a New York City banker named John H. Hammond built his home at 9 East 91st Street. The land, and maybe even the house itself, was a wedding gift to John and his wife, Emily Vanderbilt Sloane, from Emily's father, William J. Sloane.
Design and Architecture
The five-story house was designed by famous architects Carrère and Hastings. They also designed the New York Public Library. Many people think this house is one of their best home designs. The building is covered in limestone and looks like old Italian palaces from the 1500s and 1700s.
The ground floor has a rough, stone look. The first floor, called the piano nobile, has very tall windows. These windows have fancy tops and small iron balconies. The windows on the floors above get smaller, showing that those rooms were less important. The very top floor has decorative stone panels and a bold roof edge.
Life in the Hammond Home
Inside, the house was very fancy, with beautiful marble, carvings, and tapestries. It even had two elevators and a full-size squash court on the fifth floor. The Hammond children loved to use the squash court for roller skating!
The Hammonds lived in the house with their five children and 16 staff members. Emily Vanderbilt Sloane Hammond loved to host parties. The large rooms on the second floor, including a big ballroom, a library, and a music room, could fit 300 guests. Often, Emily would play the piano, and her son, John Hammond, Jr., would play the violin or viola. Over the 44 years the Hammonds lived there, many famous jazz musicians played in their home. This included Benny Goodman, who later married one of the Hammond daughters, Alice.
Later Owners and Changes
In 1946, the Hammonds sold the house to Ramón Castroviejo, a well-known eye surgeon. He made some small changes inside and opened an eye hospital on the top two floors. Under Dr. Castroviejo's ownership, the house became famous for hosting big parties for celebrities.
In 1974, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission decided that the building was a special landmark. This meant it was protected because of its history and beauty.
The Russian Consulate
The Government of the Soviet Union bought the house from Dr. Castroviejo in August 1975 for $1.6 million. They started to fix it up. They also bought the house next door and part of a driveway. The Soviet Consul, Mr. Myshkov, really liked the house because it reminded him of old buildings in Russia. They put in new electrical wiring, a theater, and air conditioning. They also got permission to add a large iron gate and security cameras outside. They spent $500,000 on renovations before they were told to leave in 1980.
After the Soviet Union broke apart, the Russian Federation returned to New York City in 1992. They found the house in very bad shape. Water had leaked from the roof, the floors squeaked, and the plumbing, furnace, and elevators didn't work. With help from a publishing company called Random House and 16 skilled artisans from Moscow, they worked to fix everything. The Russian consulate finally opened in the house in 1994.
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John Henry Hammond House
