kids encyclopedia robot

The Wilbraham facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
The Wilbraham
A dark red brick apartment building, with brown stone facing the lower two of its seven stories, topped by a green mansard roof with dormer windows, seen from the opposite corner of its intersection. Taller buildings are beyond it, and at street level is a storefront with "Estex" written above it.
South elevation and west facade from across Fifth, 2011
A map of the five boroughs of New York City, in yellow, with surrounding water in blue and other areas in pink. There is a red dot in the middle of Manhattan south of Central Park.
A map of the five boroughs of New York City, in yellow, with surrounding water in blue and other areas in pink. There is a red dot in the middle of Manhattan south of Central Park.
The Wilbraham
Location in New York City
A map of the five boroughs of New York City, in yellow, with surrounding water in blue and other areas in pink. There is a red dot in the middle of Manhattan south of Central Park.
A map of the five boroughs of New York City, in yellow, with surrounding water in blue and other areas in pink. There is a red dot in the middle of Manhattan south of Central Park.
The Wilbraham
Location in New York
A map of the five boroughs of New York City, in yellow, with surrounding water in blue and other areas in pink. There is a red dot in the middle of Manhattan south of Central Park.
A map of the five boroughs of New York City, in yellow, with surrounding water in blue and other areas in pink. There is a red dot in the middle of Manhattan south of Central Park.
The Wilbraham
Location in the United States
Location New York City, New York
Built 1888–90
Architect David and John Jardine
Architectural style Romanesque revival
NRHP reference No. 100002386
Quick facts for kids
Significant dates
Added to NRHP May 4, 2018

The Wilbraham is a historic apartment building in New York City. It was built a long time ago, between 1888 and 1890. You can find it at 282–284 Fifth Avenue in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan. This building was special because it was designed as a hotel for single men, called a "bachelor apartment hotel."

Discovering The Wilbraham

A Special Home in the City

The Wilbraham building is located in a busy part of New York City. When it first opened, it was a unique place to live. It was called a "bachelor apartment hotel." This meant it had small apartments for single men. Each apartment had a bedroom, a living room (called a parlor), and a bathroom. But there were no kitchens! Instead, everyone ate together in a big dining room on the eighth floor.

How It Was Built

The Wilbraham was designed by two architects, David and John Jardine. They used a style called "Romanesque Revival." This style uses strong, simple shapes and arches, like old Roman buildings. People at the time thought it was a very impressive building.

The building has eight main floors. It also has a special green roof called a mansard roof. The outside is made of strong Philadelphia brick and brownstone. The builders also used iron and steel to make it strong.

Wilbraham 284 Fifth Avenue entrance
The 30th Street entrance to the building with "WILBRAHAM" carved over the doorway.

Why It Was Built

A wealthy jeweler named William Moir paid for the building to be constructed. He saw it as a good investment. At that time, many rich families were moving their homes further north in the city. They wanted bigger, fancier houses near Central Park. But the area around The Wilbraham still stayed popular. It was a good spot for clubs, hotels, and new apartment buildings. Even a fancy store that sold china and glass, Davis Collamore & Co., had showrooms there.

Changes Over Time

Over the years, people's living habits changed. In 1934 and 1935, the apartments in The Wilbraham were updated. They added kitchens to each apartment. This made them more like the apartments we know today. The building is still used for homes now.

Becoming a Landmark

Because of its history and unique design, The Wilbraham has been recognized as an important building. In 2004, it was named a New York City Landmark. This means it is protected and its special features must be kept. Then, in 2018, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places across the United States that are important to history.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
The Wilbraham Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.