Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Isaac Stern Residence

The Isaac Stern residence designed by Schickel & Ditmars c. 1895-1900 at 858 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Isaac Stern was one of three founders and senior member of Stern Brothers, dry goods merchants. He was also vice-president of Mount Sinai Hospital. Stern had previously hired Schickel & Ditmars to design his first residence at 835 Madison Avenue in 1884 (no longer extant). Stern died in 1910 at his apartment in the St. Regis Hotel. The Fifth Avenue residence was later owned by financier Thomas Fortune Ryan who would also purchase and demolish the Yerkes art gallery next door to build an Italian garden. Ryan died in the house at age 77 in 1928. The home was demolished in 1949 and replaced with a 19 story apartment building.









Photos from Architects' and Builders' Magazine, 1901.

2 comments:

The Down East Dilettante said...

Whoa. These interiors are slightly on the loopy/vulgar side---and quite marvelous. They make one think of sets for the 'rich folk' in old silent movies. TF Ryan gave them a fair scrubbing, replacing much of them with richer, quieter, more 'correct' period interpretations as background for his art collection. The wing he added was handsome.

Russ Manley said...

That staircase is a gorgeous thing, just beautiful.