fbpx
Wikipedia

Benjamin N. Duke House

March 22, 2023

The Benjamin N. Duke House, also the Duke–Semans Mansion and the Benjamin N. and Sarah Duke House, is a mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue, at the southwest corner with 82nd Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was built between 1899 and 1901 and was designed by the firm of Welch, Smith & Provot. The house, along with three other mansions on the same block, was built speculatively by developers William W. Hall and Thomas M. Hall. The Benjamin N. Duke House is one of a few remaining private mansions along Fifth Avenue. It is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Benjamin N. Duke House
NYC Landmark No. 0805
The mansion in 2010
Location1009 Fifth Avenue at East 82nd Street
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°46′43.6″N 73°57′43.8″W / 40.778778°N 73.962167°W / 40.778778; -73.962167Coordinates: 40°46′43.6″N 73°57′43.8″W / 40.778778°N 73.962167°W / 40.778778; -73.962167
Built1899-1901[2]
ArchitectWelch, Smith & Provot[2][3]
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts[2]
French Renaissance (interior)
NRHP reference No.89002090[1]
NYCL No.0805
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 7, 1989
Designated NYCLFebruary 19, 1974[4]

The house, located across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fifth Avenue building, consists of seven stories and a basement. The exterior of the house is built in the Beaux-Arts style, while the interior was originally designed in the French Renaissance style. The ground floor is clad in limestone, while the facade of the upper floors is made of brick; the mansion is capped by a copper mansard roof. The facade is divided vertically into six bays on 82nd Street and three bays on Fifth Avenue. The main entrance on 82nd Street leads to a stairway that rises through the building. Originally, the dining room, music room, parlor and kitchen were on the second floor, while the other stories contained bedrooms. The house was divided into three apartments in the 1990s, and it had 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms by the 2010s.

American Tobacco Company chairman Benjamin N. Duke acquired the house in April 1901 and moved there in 1907. Benjamin's brother James bought the house in 1907 and moved to the James B. Duke House in 1912. The mansion then served as the residence of Benjamin Duke's son Angier Buchanan Duke until 1919, when Angier's sister Mary Lillian Duke and her husband A. J. Drexel Biddle Jr. moved in. After Mary's death in 1960, her daughter Mary Semans took over the house with her family. The building became a city landmark in 1974 after the Semans family refused to sell the building to developers; it was renovated in the 1980s and again in the 1990s. Semans sold the house in 2006 to businessman Tamir Sapir. Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim bought the house in 2010 and tried to resell it in 2015 and 2023.

Site

The Benjamin N. Duke House is at 1009 Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is on the southeast corner of 82nd Street to the south and Fifth Avenue to the west, across Fifth Avenue from Central Park.[5][6] The rectangular land lot covers 2,717 sq ft (252.4 m2) with a frontage of 27.17 ft (8.28 m) on Fifth Avenue and 100 ft (30 m) on 82nd Street.[5]

Directly to the north, the building is adjacent to a 15-story apartment building at 1010 Fifth Avenue, which was completed in 1925.[7] A townhouse at 2 East 82nd Street abuts the building to the east. To the south are two apartment buildings: 1001 Fifth Avenue, designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee in 1979, as well as 998 Fifth Avenue, designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1910.[7] The main entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fifth Avenue building is directly across Fifth Avenue to the west.[5][7] Historically, the house was part of Fifth Avenue's "Millionaires' Row", a grouping of mansions owned by some of the United States' wealthiest people.[8]

Historically, the Benjamin N. Duke House was one of four adjacent mansions at 1006 through 1009 Fifth Avenue that were developed by William W. and Thomas M. Hall and completed in 1901.[9][3] Welch, Smith & Provot was hired to design all four mansions, as well as the adjacent townhouse at 2 East 82nd Street.[7][10] Among the notable occupants of the other houses was the National Audubon Society, which moved into 1006 Fifth Avenue in 1938.[11] The houses at 1006 and 1007 Fifth Avenue were demolished in 1972 to make way for an apartment building,[12] and the house at 1008 Fifth Avenue was similarly demolished in 1977.[13]

Architecture

The house was built between 1899 and 1901 to designs by the firm of Welch, Smith & Provot,[14] composed of Alexander M. Welch, Bowen Bancroft Smith, and George Provot.[4][15][a] Welch, Smith & Provot. who worked nearly exclusively for William W. and Thomas M. Hall, designed many buildings on the Upper East Side in the early 20th century.[16] The house was built in the Beaux-Arts style[2][3] with a French Renaissance interior, decorated mainly with Louis XV style furniture.[2] P. A. Fiebiger created much of the house's metalwork.[17]

Facade

The main portion of the house rises five stories from the street and is capped by a two-story mansard roof.[9] The 82nd Street elevation of the facade, to the north, is vertically divided into six bays of openings; the facade is further split into a five-bay-wide main section and a one-bay-wide eastern wing.[18] The house contains three bays of openings on the west, facing Fifth Avenue.[7] Both the Fifth Avenue elevation and the third-westernmost bay on the 82nd Street elevation are curved outward in a manner resembling the Baroque style.[15]

The house is separated from either street by a recessed areaway, which contains a cast iron railing along the sidewalk. The basement and first floor are clad with rusticated blocks of limestone. The facade of the upper floors is made of brick, with limestone quoins at each corner, as well as large pieces of limestone trim. The roof is clad with red tile and is topped by copper cresting; metal finials extend from the top of the roof.[18][19] The mansard roof may have been influenced by the Beaux-Arts style; the house contains further elements of the Beaux-Arts style, including cartouches on the facade and wrought-iron window guards.[15] The copper cresting on the roof, which was mass-produced when the house was built, had to be replaced with a custom-made replica in the 1980s. The modern-day house contains six metal finials, each weighing 250 lb (110 kg) and measuring 9 ft (2.7 m) tall.[17] There are also two outdoor terraces, including one on the roof.[20][21]

82nd Street

 
Side view of the entrance on 82nd Street

The main portion of the 82nd Street elevation consists of the westernmost five bays of that elevation. The third bay from the west, a curved central bay, is flanked by two-bay-wide pavilions that project slightly from the facade. The house's main entrance is in the center bay, underneath a metal-and-glass marquee at the ground story. The doors are made of wrought iron and glass and are flanked by engaged columns and narrow windows on either side.[7][19] Above the first floor, the center bay consists of a three-story-high window frame made of limestone. On the second story, there are four windows in the center bay; there is a lintel and cartouche above the two center windows and a cartouche above each of the outer windows. The center bay contains a rectangular window on the third floor and a segmentally-arched window with cartouche on the fourth floor.[18] Both the third- and fourth-floor windows of the third bay have iron window guards. A balustrade runs above the fourth floor of the third bay.[18][19]

On the ground story, the side pavilions (comprising the first, second, fourth, and fifth bays from west) contain rectangular windows flanked by brackets. These brackets support balconies on the second floor, behind which are French windows; there are triangular pediments above each of the second-story French windows. Within the side pavilions, the windows on the third and fourth floor of each bay are connected by limestone frames, and there are iron window guards in front of the windows. Above the fourth story, brackets hold up a horizontal band course protruding from the facade.[19][22] There are rectangular windows at the fifth story, as well as limestone belt courses that run across the facade.[22] An ornate cornice, with modillions, runs across the facade just above the fifth floor, with a stone balustrade above the cornice.[19][22] Dormers with segmentally-arched cartouches protrude from the mansard roof.[22]

The wing at the eastern end of the 82nd Street facade is one bay wide and is clad with rusticated limestone blocks at its base.[22] An oriel window, which resembles a conservatory, projects from the facade at the second story.[19][22] There is a fluted corbel below the oriel window, as well as floral ornament around the window.[19] Similarly to the other bays, the third floor contains a rectangular window, and the fourth floor contains a segmental arch with a cartouche just above it. Above the fourth floor, the facade of the eastern wing is recessed behind a balustrade.[22]

Fifth Avenue

On Fifth Avenue, all three bays are curved outward and are placed within a limestone frame. As with the 82nd Street elevation, the basement and first floors are clad with rusticated limestone; the outer portions of the facade above the first floor are made of red brick. There are limestone balustrades in front of the second-floor windows, as well as garlands on the spandrel panel between the second- and third-story windows. The third- and fourth-story windows all have iron window guards, and the third-story windows are additionally topped by brackets. As with the center bay of the 82nd Street elevation, there is a balustrade above the fourth floor and a cornice above the fifth floor.[19][22]

Features

The house is variously cited as covering 19,000 sq ft (1,800 m2)[20][23] or 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2);[24][25] according to The Wall Street Journal, the house covers 19,628 sq ft (1,823.5 m2).[26] The space is split across eight levels, including a basement.[23]

Original design

The structure originally had either seven[20] or eight bedrooms,[27] as well as ten bathrooms.[27] There were also eleven fireplaces and three elevators.[24][28] The interior of the house was originally decorated in the French Neoclassical style.[17][22] The original decorations included sconces, moldings, and wood paneling, which were largely preserved in later years.[17] The first through third floors largely retain their original layout. The main entrance on 82nd Street leads to an outer vestibule clad with marble; a set of doors leads to a stair hall and other ground-level spaces.[22] Within the stair hall is a curved staircase to the second floor, which has an iron railing.[22] The staircase runs the entire height of the building, linking with each story.[21]

The staircase opens directly into a music room on the second floor. The music room contains arched doorways on its west and east walls, which respectively lead to a parlor and a dining room. The music room's south wall contains an elevator and another doorway, both of which are topped by panels with motifs depicting musical instruments. The dining room, to the east of the music room, contains roundels with putti; vines painted using a trompe-l'œil technique; simple paneling on the walls; and a marble fireplace mantel. There is a kitchen to the east of the dining room. The parlor, west of the music room, contains wall paneling ornamented by classical moldings, urns, and cartouches, as well as a white fireplace mantel topped by a frieze with guilloché moldings. In addition, the parlor windows facing Fifth Avenue contain ornate frames with brackets, which support entablatures above the windows.[29]

On the upper floors, the stairway connects with a landing that is flanked by two main rooms to the west and the east.[21] The master bedroom is to the east of the third-floor landing, while a library room is to the west. The doorways in the master bedroom are decorated with foliate and guilloché moldings, and the master bedroom also has a marble fireplace mantel. A plainly designed bedroom is to the east of the master bedroom, within the house's easternmost wing. The western part of the third floor contains a rococo-style library with a red-marble mantel, as well as bookcase built into the walls.[29]

Modifications

Karl Bock redesigned the house in the 1920s,[9][22] when many of the original Victorian designs were simplified.[17] Bock further renovated some of the spaces in the 1930s and 1940s. These included an oval bathroom with mirrors and black marble on the walls; another bathroom with blue glass tiles and a modern-style sink; and a dressing room with ribbon-striped sycamore.[9] The modern-day interior also contains "gold-leaf trimmed fixtures and intricate friezes".[30]

By the mid-1980s, two offices occupied the western and eastern portions of the ground floor. The Dukes occupied an apartment on the second and third floors, while they rented out another apartment on the fourth and fifth floors; in addition, the sixth floor contained servants' rooms.[29] In 1995, the original residence was divided into three apartments, as well as a 250 sq ft (23 m2) room for the Duke family on the ground floor. The first four stories became a four-story apartment, measuring 9,800 sq ft (910 m2). The fifth floor contained another apartment, spanning one story. An additional floor was created by raising the mansard roof, accommodating a third apartment on the sixth and seventh floors.[9] By the 2010s, the house had 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.[28]

History

Before William W. and Thomas M. Hall had developed the mansions at 1006–1009 Fifth Avenue, the site at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street was undeveloped.[10] In July 1899, the Halls hired Welch, Smith & Provot to design three five-story mansions at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street at a cost of $255,000.[31] The New York City Department of Buildings granted the developers a single work permit for the three houses, occupying the lots at 1007–1009 Fifth Avenue. All three houses were completed in 1901.[10]

Duke ownership

Benjamin and James Duke

The Halls sold the houses at 1007 through 1009 Fifth Avenue in April 1901.[32] Kate F. Timmerman and William A. Hall[b] had respectively acquired the adjacent houses at 1007 and 1008 Fifth Avenue,[10][33] while William H. Gelshenen occupied 1006 Fifth Avenue.[10] Contemporary sources initially reported that tobacco businessman James Buchanan Duke had acquired the house at 1009 Fifth Avenue, facing 82nd Street.[33][34] That June, William W. Hall finalized his sale of 1009 Fifth Avenue to James's brother Benjamin Newton Duke,[35][36] the chairman of the American Tobacco Company, which Benjamin and James Duke had cofounded.[4][37] Benjamin and his wife Sarah Duke are recorded as having owned the house during the early 1900s.[27] It is not known why Benjamin Duke did not develop his own house, as he was worth $60 million at the time. Nonetheless, the house was originally unoccupied; Benjamin is recorded as having lived at a hotel, Hoffman House, until 1907.[9]

In late 1906, James met cotton heiress Nanaline Holt Inman at a party in his brother's house. James married Nanaline eight months later, in July 1907, and bought a plot at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 78th Street, where he intended to build a mansion.[38][39] That November, James acquired the house at 1009 Fifth Avenue from his brother.[40][41] James is recorded as having lived in the house by early 1908, when he gave testimony from his bedroom as part of an antitrust lawsuit that that the federal government had brought against the American Tobacco Company.[42][43] Benjamin Duke moved to the Plaza Hotel in 1909. By the 1910 United States census, James and Nanaline lived there, along with Nanaline's mother Florence Holt and nine servants.[9]

James's mansion at Fifth Avenue and 78th Street, the James B. Duke House, was completed in 1912.[4][37] The same year, Benjamin built his own house at Fifth Avenue and 89th Street on the future site of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.[9] The banker Moses Taylor, who worked for the firm Kean, Taylor & Co., leased the house in December 1913 for $30,000 per year.[44][45] The mansion became the residence of one of Benjamin Duke's sons, Angier Buchanan Duke, and Angier's wife Cordelia Biddle, of the wealthy Biddle family.[37] Angier and Cordelia's son Angier Biddle Duke was born at the house in 1915.[46]

Biddle family

 
Viewed from the steps of The Met Fifth Avenue, across Fifth Avenue

By the early 1920s, the house was occupied by Angier's sister Mary Lillian Duke Biddle and her husband A. J. Drexel Biddle Jr..[9][37] Sources disagree over whether the Biddles moved into the house in 1919[9][47] or 1922.[37] The couple had two children: their daughter Mary Duke Biddle II (later Mary Semans) was born in 1920, while their son Nicholas B. D. Biddle was born in 1921. They split their time between 1009 Fifth Avenue and an estate in Irvington, New York.[48] Mary Lillian Duke was responsible for renovating the house's interior, removing some plasterwork, adding black marble decorations in one bathroom, and adding brass and wrought-iron railings to one of the staircases.[24] These decorations were designed by Karl Bock, whose additions were largely supplemented the original French-style decorations.[9] By the mid-1920s, many of Fifth Avenue's former mansions were rapidly being replaced with apartment buildings, although the Biddles' mansion remained intact.[49]

The Biddles divorced in 1931,[50] upon which Mary Lillian Duke retained ownership of the house.[37] The younger Mary and her brother Nicholas continued to live at 1009 Fifth Avenue with their mother.[51] During the 1930s, the elder Mary hosted several events at the house, including a 1936 "musicale" with many high-society guests.[52] Bock continued to make alterations to the house throughout the 1930s and 1940s.[9] Mary Lillian Duke bought an estate in Durham, North Carolina, in 1935 and began spending increasing amounts of time there. By 1950, she lived in Durham for six months of the year, splitting her remaining time between 1009 Fifth Avenue and another estate in Florida.[48] The facade was repainted gray in the 1950s.[17] Mary Lillian Duke continued to own 1009 Fifth Avenue until her death in 1960.[53]

Mary Duke Biddle II and her husband, doctor James Semans, assumed ownership of the house after the elder Mary had died.[17][37] By then, 1009 Fifth Avenue was one of five remaining single-family mansions on the Millionaires' Row section of Fifth Avenue.[54] During the early 1960s, the upper stories were split into a separate apartment.[17]

Preservation

In the early 1970s, Sol Goldman and Donald Zucker announced plans to demolish the houses at 1006–1008 Fifth Avenue and 2 East 82nd Street, replacing them with a 25-story apartment house.[55] Mary Semans not only refused to sell her family's house but was also petitioning the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate the building as a landmark. At the time, Semans occupied two floors, while New York University's Hall of Fame occupied the ground story.[56] Semans reportedly rejected sales offers of over $1 million for her family's house.[55] A local group, the Neighborhood Association to Preserve Fifth Avenue Houses, received an injunction in September 1972, preventing 1006 and 1007 Fifth Avenue from being demolished.[56] The New York Supreme Court overturned the injunction two days later, and the buildings were immediately razed.[12]

By 1973, the LPC was considering designating 998, 1008, and 1009 Fifth Avenue and 2 East 82nd Street as city landmarks.[55] Although the Neighborhood Association had wanted the LPC to host a public hearing for the entire city block, the LPC was only considering these four buildings as individual city landmarks.[57] The American Institute of Architects and priest Louis Gigante were among those who supported the designations.[57] The LPC designated 998 and 1009 Fifth Avenue as city landmarks on February 19, 1974, preventing major changes to these buildings without the LPC's permission.[58][59] However, the LPC declined to designate the other two structures, which Goldman and Zucker owned;[57] in particular, 1008 Fifth Avenue was ineligible for landmark designation because it had been heavily modified.[13] Richard Peck of The New York Times wrote that the house's landmark designation only covered a single site and "has not preserved the block against a high‐rise of two‐and‐a‐half‐room apartment units".[60]

The Neighborhood Association sued the LPC in March 1975, claiming that the agency had refused to consider designating the stretch of 82nd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, including 1009 Fifth Avenue, as a New York City historic district.[57] That year, a state judge ruled that the LPC was required to at least host public hearings for the proposed district.[58] The LPC finally began considering designating 1009 Fifth Avenue as part of the Metropolitan Museum Historic District in early 1977; it was larger than the proposed 82nd Street historic district.[61] As negotiations for the Metropolitan Museum district proceeded, the neighboring house at 1008 Fifth Avenue was demolished in March 1975.[13] That September, the LPC designated 1009 Fifth Avenue as part of the Metropolitan Museum Historic District, a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century mansions around Fifth Avenue between 78th and 86th Streets.[62][63] Ultimately, Goldman and Zucker's original plan fell through, and Peter Kalikow leased the apartment-house site.[64]

Renovations

The house underwent a two-year restoration in the 1980s to designs by Gerald Allen, who restored the exterior based on drawings in the collection of Columbia University's Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library. Joseph Fiebiger, whose grandfather had created the original wrought-iron decorations, was hired to rebuild the corroded copper roof. Between six and eight employees of the Fiebiger company worked on the project for two years. The firm created 48 molds of pieces on the existing roof, then manufactured custom replacement pieces in its workshop; it had to buy a custom hydraulic press to mold the copper pieces. The Fiebiger company also installed six wrought-iron finials as a gift to the Duke family.[17] The balustrades on the facade were also replaced.[24] The contractors used a biodegradable paint remover on the facade, and they treated the wrought-iron window guards with polyurethane, epoxy, and an organic zinc mixture to prevent the iron from rusting. The Semans family then restored the interiors using photographs that were stored in the attic of one of the Duke family's houses in North Carolina.[17]

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1] Mary Semans placed her family's house for sale in 1991 but wished to retain part of the house as a pied-à-terre.[65] At this point, Semans mostly lived in North Carolina.[65][66] Bradford Gannett of Coldwell Banker, who had been hired to sell the house, said he was negotiating with foundations or wealthy individuals involved with the arts, who could preserve the house if he could not find a seller.[65] Semans also began negotiating to sell some of the house's unused air rights to Kalikow,[67] who had been forced to seal up several apartments in the townhouse at 2 East 82nd Street to obtain 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) of additional space in the apartment building at 1001 Fifth Avenue.[64] The sale of the air rights would allow Kalikow to unseal the apartments at 2 East 82nd Street.[67] Semans ultimately withdrew her offer to sell the house.[25]

By 1995, the Duke family was renovating the house into luxury condominium apartments. At the time, the descendants of Benjamin Duke only occupied a single room in the house. The project also included renovating the basement into doctors' offices, raising the roof to create a seventh story, and splitting the interior into three floors.[9] As part of this project, the plumbing and heating systems were also refurbished.[24] Although the condominium conversion was ultimately canceled,[25] some of the space was rented out.[24] The four-story apartment was rented for $50,000 a month.[9][26]

Sales

Sapir ownership

Mary Semans placed the mansion for sale in 2005, as none of her descendants lived in the city.[25][68] The mansion, which was described as the last intact mansion on Fifth Avenue, was listed for $50 million, making it the second most expensive residence in New York City at the time.[68] Semans said of any potential buyer, "The only thing I would like is that they keep the house sort of the way it is now".[24] One of the three brokers, Sharon Baum of the Corcoran Group, marketed the house as a single-family residence, though potential buyers could also divide the house into multiple condos.[25] Because of its high asking price, the house's brokers only offered tours to potential buyers after checking their bank accounts.[24][68] The brokers experienced difficulties in showing the house to prospective buyers, as the brokers needed permission from the two existing tenants, and they could not show the building when staff members were on vacation.[24]

By August 2005, sixteen millionaires had visited the property,[69] and three had made bids. Among the bidders were rock musician Lenny Kravitz, who wished to acquire the Duke–Semans Mansion as a headquarters for his company Kravitz Design.[24][68] In total, 40 prospective buyers toured the house before it was sold.[20] Tamir Sapir, an American businessman and former taxi driver, paid $40 million for the building in January 2006.[20][70] This was the highest amount ever paid for a townhouse in Manhattan at the time.[27] At the time, Sapir planned to move his collection of sculptures to the upper floors.[28][70] He had also planned to live in the penthouse with his partner and their daughter, who was then two years old.[20][70] Sapir ultimately never moved his sculpture collection to the house,[71] and a proposal to convert the house to luxury apartments also failed.[66]

Slim ownership

Sapir placed the mansion for sale in January 2010 for $50 million,[26][28] and Paula Del Nunzio of brokerage firm Brown Harris Stevens was hired to market the building under an exclusive listing agreement.[72][73] Sapir finalized his sale of the building in July 2010; sources initially reported that a Russian businessman had bought the house.[71][74] Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim, at the time the richest person in the world, was reported as the buyer, having paid $44 million.[26][75] At the time, it was the fourth-most-expensive townhouse ever sold in New York City.[26] Brown Harris Stevens sued Sapir for breach of contract in August 2010, claiming that Sapir had tried to avoid paying a broker's commission to Del Nunzio by secretly negotiating directly with Slim, then waiting until Del Nunzio's contract had expired before finalizing the sale.[72][73] Brown Harris Stevens alleged that, when Sapir sold the house to Slim, he had already agreed to sell the house to a client of Del Nunzio for $37 million.[76] The lawsuit was settled in December 2010.[76][77]

In May 2015, Sotheby's placed 1009 Fifth Avenue for sale at an asking price of $80 million, nearly twice the amount Slim had paid for it. The house became one of the most expensive public listings in New York City.[78][79][80] Slim canceled the sale in early 2016 after no one expressed interest in buying the house.[81] He placed the house for sale again in January 2023.[21][82]

Critical reception

Soon after the house was completed, Montgomery Schuyler criticized mansions on Fifth Avenue in general, saying: "We hold these truths to be self-evident that, when a man goes into 'six figures' for his dwelling house, he ought not to make its upperworks of sheet metal. That is a cheap pretence which nothing can distinguish from vulgarity."[9] By contrast, Richard Peck of The New York Times wrote in 1974 that 1009 Fifth Avenue was "quintessential Fifth Avenue Beaux Arts".[60] Christopher Gray, writing for the same newspaper in 1995, said that the house's modern-style rooms were "among the most unusual interiors on Fifth Avenue".[9] The New York Observer wrote in 2015 that the building was "a Beaux-Arts confection eight stories tall with a corner orientation that offers that most rare of townhouse qualities—good light".[83]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ The 1974 New York City landmark designation report speculates that the design was by Alexander McMillan Welch, who had worked with the Halls before founding the Welch, Smith & Provit firm with Bowen B. Smith and George Provot,[4] but later sources list only the firm as architect.[2][3]
  2. ^ According to Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 93, William A. Hall of 1007 Fifth Avenue is not related to the developers.

Citations

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
  3. ^ a b c d White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  4. ^ a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974, p. 1.
  5. ^ a b c "1009 Fifth Avenue, 10028". New York City Department of City Planning. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  6. ^ White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 448. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  7. ^ a b c d e f National Park Service 1989, p. 2.
  8. ^ "In the Real Estate Field; August Belmont Sells Corner of 81st Street and Fifth Avenue for $1,000,00". The New York Times. November 24, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gray, Christopher (February 5, 1995). "Streetscapes/1009 Fifth Avenue; Luxury Rental Units in a Fifth Avenue Mansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 93.
  11. ^ "Real Estate News: Audubon Assn. Buys Residence On 5th Avenue National Organization of Societies Takes Five-Slory Duelling Opposite Art Museum for $83,000". New York Herald Tribune. April 4, 1938. p. 26. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1243035913.
  12. ^ a b McQuiston, John T. (September 22, 1972). "Court Lifts Ban on Razing Of 2 Houses on 5th Ave". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Ouindlen, Anna (March 2, 1977). "5th Ave. Group Loses Town House, but May Win War". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Roterman, Natalie (October 12, 2015). "Carlos Slim New York Mansion: Take A Look Inside The $80 Million Property For Sale". Latin Times. from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c National Park Service 1989, p. 7.
  16. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 120.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Giovannini, Joseph (September 26, 1985). "The Wraps Come Off a 1901 Beaux-arts Mansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d National Park Service 1989, pp. 2–3.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974, p. 2.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Nichols, Adam (January 11, 2006). "Cabbie Buys a Duke-dom". Daily News. p. 8. from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  21. ^ a b c d McLaughlin, Katherine (January 26, 2023). "A Gilded Age Mansion in New York City Just Listed for $80 Million". Architectural Digest. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l National Park Service 1989, p. 3.
  23. ^ a b Finn, Robin (July 26, 2013). "Call Me 'Mansion'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rich, Motoko (August 10, 2005). "A $50 Million Price Tag, and Still a Fixer-Upper?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d e Neuman, William (April 10, 2005). "A $20 Million Town House in Brooklyn (No Fooling)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  26. ^ a b c d e Barbanel, Josh (July 28, 2010). "Slim Pickings: $44 Million Home". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  27. ^ a b c d Fine, Camille (February 16, 2023). "'Last true mansion' on New York City's iconic Fifth Avenue listed at $80 million: See inside". USA TODAY. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  28. ^ a b c d "Sapir puts famed mansion back on market". The Real Deal. January 11, 2010. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c National Park Service 1989, p. 4.
  30. ^ Plitt, Amy (October 1, 2015). "Finally, Go Inside Carlos Slim's $80M Upper East Side Mansion". Curbed NY. from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  31. ^ "Projected Buildings; Borough of Manhattan". The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide. Vol. 64, no. 1633. July 1, 1899. p. 21. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023 – via columbia.edu.
  32. ^ "In the Real Estate Field; Another Upper Fifth Avenue Mansion Sold for $200,000 -- Sales by Brokers and at Auction". The New York Times. April 16, 1901. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  33. ^ a b "In the Real Estate Field; Scottish Rite Hall Property Resold -- Other Dealings by Brokers and in the Auction Room". The New York Times. April 17, 1901. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  34. ^ "Gossip of the Week". The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide. Vol. 67, no. 1727. April 20, 1901. p. 697. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023 – via columbia.edu.
  35. ^ "Real Estate Transfers". New-York Tribune. June 12, 1901. p. 12. ProQuest 570939059.
  36. ^ "Real Estate Transfers". The New York Times. June 12, 1901. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 96094532.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g National Park Service 1989, p. 8.
  38. ^ "James B. Duke Weds Mrs. Inman; Founder of the Tobacco Trust, Divorced Last Year, Marries Cotton Merchant's Widow". The New York Times. July 24, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  39. ^ "James B. Duke Weds Mrs Inman and Gives Her $1,600,000 Present". The Atlanta Constitution. July 24, 1907. p. 1. ProQuest 496140143.
  40. ^ "Conveyances; Borough of Manhattan". The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide. Vol. 80, no. 2071. November 23, 1907. p. 859. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023 – via columbia.edu.
  41. ^ "Real Estate Transfers". The New York Times. November 16, 1907. p. 14. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 96747437.
  42. ^ "J.B. Duke's Bedroom Serves as a Court; Head of Tobacco Company Testifies in Bed in Government's Suit to Annul Its Charter". The New York Times. February 26, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  43. ^ "Duke, in Bed, Testifies: Head of American Tobacco Company Examined in Government Suit". New-York Tribune. February 26, 1908. p. 10. ProQuest 572076432.
  44. ^ "Moses Taylor Rents Old Home of James B. Duke: Dwelling at Fifth Avenue and 82d Street Held at $30,000 a Year". New-York Tribune. December 30, 1913. p. 12. ProQuest 575195094.
  45. ^ "The Real Estate Field; Upper Third Avenue Property Purchased by an Investor ;- Former Fifth Avenue Home of J.B. Duke Leased for $30,000 a Year ;- New Yorkers Buy Westchester and Connecticut Farms". The New York Times. December 30, 1913. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  46. ^ "Stork Brings Heir to Duke-Biddle Riches". The Buffalo Enquirer. December 2, 1915. p. 1. from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  47. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 95.
  48. ^ a b Mary Duke Biddle Estate (PDF) (Report). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. 2013. p. 22. (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  49. ^ "New Architecture on Fifth Avenue". The New York Times. May 16, 1926. p. RE1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 103907298.
  50. ^ "Drexel Biddle Jr. Divorced Up-state; Wife Motors From New York With Party for Secret Hearing at Newburgh". The New York Times. March 8, 1931. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  51. ^ "Mrs. Duke's Will Aids University; Bequests of $1,000,000 and $500,000 Made in Names of Husband and Son". The New York Times. October 8, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  52. ^ "Mrs. Duke Biddle Gives a Musicale; She Is Hostess at Her Home on Fifth Avenue to Large Number of Guests". The New York Times. May 13, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  53. ^ "Mrs. Biddle's Rites Set Today at Duke". The New York Times. June 16, 1960. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  54. ^ Ennis, Thomas W. (June 12, 1960). "Remnants of 'Millionaire's Row' Today House Libraries and Schools -- Few Are Still in Private Hands; Stretch of Thirty Blocks Bordering on Central Park Typified Age of Elegance on Thoroughfare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  55. ^ a b c Carmody, Deirdre (July 25, 1973). "Ban Asked on Razing of 2 Townhouses for a High ‐ Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  56. ^ a b Johnston, Laurie (September 20, 1972). "Razing of 2 Old Townhouses Is Halted". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  57. ^ a b c d Carmody, Deirdre (March 17, 1975). "Residents Near Metropolitan Museum Sue to Obtain. Historic‐District Status". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  58. ^ a b "5th Ave. Group Wins Right to a Hearing On Landmark Status". The New York Times. August 12, 1975. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  59. ^ "Choose Homes As Landmarks". Daily News. February 20, 1974. p. 53. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  60. ^ a b Peck, Richard (August 25, 1974). "On Millionaires' Row, Today's Issues Find An Echo in History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  61. ^ Horsley, Carter B. (January 31, 1977). "A Landmark District Is Proposed On 5th Ave. Opposite Art Museum". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  62. ^ Ranzal, Edward (September 21, 1977). "Museum Area a Historic District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  63. ^ "Art Museum Area Named as Historic". New York Daily News. September 21, 1977. p. 290. from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  64. ^ a b Gray, Christopher S. (April 1, 1979). "... Zoning by Closing Rooms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  65. ^ a b c "Postings: A Vast Pied a Terre; Mansion To Share". The New York Times. January 20, 1991. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  66. ^ a b Hughes, C.J. (April 19, 2022). "The second homes of the rich and famous". Crain's New York Business. from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  67. ^ a b Gray, Christopher (October 26, 1997). "Streetscapes/East 82d Street; A Tale of 2 Town Houses, All But Empty for Years". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  68. ^ a b c d Laurence, Charles (August 29, 2005). "Last mansion on Fifth Avenue". The Windsor Star. p. B3 Front. ProQuest 254581568.
  69. ^ Connor, Tracy (August 28, 2005). "Hey Lenny! We'll Save You $49.8 M". Daily News. p. 22. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  70. ^ a b c Rich, Motoko; Neuman, William (January 10, 2006). "$40 Million Buys Ex-Cabby His Own Corner of 5th Avenue". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  71. ^ a b "Duke Semans Mansion sells at $10M price cut". The Real Deal. July 26, 2010. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  72. ^ a b "BHS files suit over Duke Semans commission". The Real Deal. August 3, 2010. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  73. ^ a b Karmin, Craig (August 3, 2010). "Broker Sues Over Carlos Slim's $44 Billion Townhouse". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  74. ^ Polsky, Sara (July 27, 2010). "Duke Semans Mansion Sale Closes at $44 Million". Curbed NY. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  75. ^ The Real Estate Desk (July 28, 2010). "Carlos Slim Buys Duke Semans Mansion for $44 M." Observer. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  76. ^ a b Kershaw, Sarah (December 31, 2010). "Big Deal - Sale of Duke Mansion Brings a Lawsuit". City Room. from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  77. ^ "Brown Harris Stevens settles in Duke Semans commission dispute". The Real Deal. December 17, 2010. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  78. ^ Green, Dennis (October 1, 2015). "We can finally peek inside the home of the world's second-richest man". Business Insider. from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  79. ^ Mashayekhi, Rey (May 6, 2015). "Carlos Slim asking $80 million for Duke-Semans Mansion". The Real Deal New York. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  80. ^ Clarke, Katherine (May 5, 2015). "Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim wants $80M for his massive Manhattan townhouse". New York Daily News. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  81. ^ Cameron, Christopher (January 9, 2016). "Carlos Slim's $80M UES townhouse is now off the market". The Real Deal New York. from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  82. ^ Glanzer, Ted (January 21, 2023). "Carlos Slim Re-lists Manhattan Townhouse for $80M". The Real Deal New York. from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  83. ^ Velsey, Kim (May 6, 2015). "Carlos Slim Wants $80M for Ridiculously Opulent Fifth Avenue Mansion". Observer. from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.

Sources

External links

  •   Media related to Benjamin N. Duke House at Wikimedia Commons

March 22, 2023
benjamin, duke, house, also, duke, semans, mansion, benjamin, sarah, duke, house, mansion, 1009, fifth, avenue, southwest, corner, with, 82nd, street, upper, east, side, manhattan, york, city, built, between, 1899, 1901, designed, firm, welch, smith, provot, h. The Benjamin N Duke House also the Duke Semans Mansion and the Benjamin N and Sarah Duke House is a mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue at the southwest corner with 82nd Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City It was built between 1899 and 1901 and was designed by the firm of Welch Smith amp Provot The house along with three other mansions on the same block was built speculatively by developers William W Hall and Thomas M Hall The Benjamin N Duke House is one of a few remaining private mansions along Fifth Avenue It is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places Benjamin N Duke HouseU S National Register of Historic PlacesNYC Landmark No 0805The mansion in 2010Location1009 Fifth Avenue at East 82nd StreetManhattan New York CityCoordinates40 46 43 6 N 73 57 43 8 W 40 778778 N 73 962167 W 40 778778 73 962167 Coordinates 40 46 43 6 N 73 57 43 8 W 40 778778 N 73 962167 W 40 778778 73 962167Built1899 1901 2 ArchitectWelch Smith amp Provot 2 3 Architectural styleBeaux Arts 2 French Renaissance interior NRHP reference No 89002090 1 NYCL No 0805Significant datesAdded to NRHPDecember 7 1989Designated NYCLFebruary 19 1974 4 The house located across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art s Fifth Avenue building consists of seven stories and a basement The exterior of the house is built in the Beaux Arts style while the interior was originally designed in the French Renaissance style The ground floor is clad in limestone while the facade of the upper floors is made of brick the mansion is capped by a copper mansard roof The facade is divided vertically into six bays on 82nd Street and three bays on Fifth Avenue The main entrance on 82nd Street leads to a stairway that rises through the building Originally the dining room music room parlor and kitchen were on the second floor while the other stories contained bedrooms The house was divided into three apartments in the 1990s and it had 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms by the 2010s American Tobacco Company chairman Benjamin N Duke acquired the house in April 1901 and moved there in 1907 Benjamin s brother James bought the house in 1907 and moved to the James B Duke House in 1912 The mansion then served as the residence of Benjamin Duke s son Angier Buchanan Duke until 1919 when Angier s sister Mary Lillian Duke and her husband A J Drexel Biddle Jr moved in After Mary s death in 1960 her daughter Mary Semans took over the house with her family The building became a city landmark in 1974 after the Semans family refused to sell the building to developers it was renovated in the 1980s and again in the 1990s Semans sold the house in 2006 to businessman Tamir Sapir Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim bought the house in 2010 and tried to resell it in 2015 and 2023 Contents 1 Site 2 Architecture 2 1 Facade 2 1 1 82nd Street 2 1 2 Fifth Avenue 2 2 Features 2 2 1 Original design 2 2 2 Modifications 3 History 3 1 Duke ownership 3 1 1 Benjamin and James Duke 3 1 2 Biddle family 3 1 3 Preservation 3 1 4 Renovations 3 2 Sales 3 2 1 Sapir ownership 3 2 2 Slim ownership 4 Critical reception 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 Citations 6 3 Sources 7 External linksSite EditThe Benjamin N Duke House is at 1009 Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City It is on the southeast corner of 82nd Street to the south and Fifth Avenue to the west across Fifth Avenue from Central Park 5 6 The rectangular land lot covers 2 717 sq ft 252 4 m2 with a frontage of 27 17 ft 8 28 m on Fifth Avenue and 100 ft 30 m on 82nd Street 5 Directly to the north the building is adjacent to a 15 story apartment building at 1010 Fifth Avenue which was completed in 1925 7 A townhouse at 2 East 82nd Street abuts the building to the east To the south are two apartment buildings 1001 Fifth Avenue designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee in 1979 as well as 998 Fifth Avenue designed by McKim Mead amp White and opened in 1910 7 The main entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art s Fifth Avenue building is directly across Fifth Avenue to the west 5 7 Historically the house was part of Fifth Avenue s Millionaires Row a grouping of mansions owned by some of the United States wealthiest people 8 Historically the Benjamin N Duke House was one of four adjacent mansions at 1006 through 1009 Fifth Avenue that were developed by William W and Thomas M Hall and completed in 1901 9 3 Welch Smith amp Provot was hired to design all four mansions as well as the adjacent townhouse at 2 East 82nd Street 7 10 Among the notable occupants of the other houses was the National Audubon Society which moved into 1006 Fifth Avenue in 1938 11 The houses at 1006 and 1007 Fifth Avenue were demolished in 1972 to make way for an apartment building 12 and the house at 1008 Fifth Avenue was similarly demolished in 1977 13 Architecture EditThe house was built between 1899 and 1901 to designs by the firm of Welch Smith amp Provot 14 composed of Alexander M Welch Bowen Bancroft Smith and George Provot 4 15 a Welch Smith amp Provot who worked nearly exclusively for William W and Thomas M Hall designed many buildings on the Upper East Side in the early 20th century 16 The house was built in the Beaux Arts style 2 3 with a French Renaissance interior decorated mainly with Louis XV style furniture 2 P A Fiebiger created much of the house s metalwork 17 Facade Edit The main portion of the house rises five stories from the street and is capped by a two story mansard roof 9 The 82nd Street elevation of the facade to the north is vertically divided into six bays of openings the facade is further split into a five bay wide main section and a one bay wide eastern wing 18 The house contains three bays of openings on the west facing Fifth Avenue 7 Both the Fifth Avenue elevation and the third westernmost bay on the 82nd Street elevation are curved outward in a manner resembling the Baroque style 15 The house is separated from either street by a recessed areaway which contains a cast iron railing along the sidewalk The basement and first floor are clad with rusticated blocks of limestone The facade of the upper floors is made of brick with limestone quoins at each corner as well as large pieces of limestone trim The roof is clad with red tile and is topped by copper cresting metal finials extend from the top of the roof 18 19 The mansard roof may have been influenced by the Beaux Arts style the house contains further elements of the Beaux Arts style including cartouches on the facade and wrought iron window guards 15 The copper cresting on the roof which was mass produced when the house was built had to be replaced with a custom made replica in the 1980s The modern day house contains six metal finials each weighing 250 lb 110 kg and measuring 9 ft 2 7 m tall 17 There are also two outdoor terraces including one on the roof 20 21 82nd Street Edit Side view of the entrance on 82nd Street The main portion of the 82nd Street elevation consists of the westernmost five bays of that elevation The third bay from the west a curved central bay is flanked by two bay wide pavilions that project slightly from the facade The house s main entrance is in the center bay underneath a metal and glass marquee at the ground story The doors are made of wrought iron and glass and are flanked by engaged columns and narrow windows on either side 7 19 Above the first floor the center bay consists of a three story high window frame made of limestone On the second story there are four windows in the center bay there is a lintel and cartouche above the two center windows and a cartouche above each of the outer windows The center bay contains a rectangular window on the third floor and a segmentally arched window with cartouche on the fourth floor 18 Both the third and fourth floor windows of the third bay have iron window guards A balustrade runs above the fourth floor of the third bay 18 19 On the ground story the side pavilions comprising the first second fourth and fifth bays from west contain rectangular windows flanked by brackets These brackets support balconies on the second floor behind which are French windows there are triangular pediments above each of the second story French windows Within the side pavilions the windows on the third and fourth floor of each bay are connected by limestone frames and there are iron window guards in front of the windows Above the fourth story brackets hold up a horizontal band course protruding from the facade 19 22 There are rectangular windows at the fifth story as well as limestone belt courses that run across the facade 22 An ornate cornice with modillions runs across the facade just above the fifth floor with a stone balustrade above the cornice 19 22 Dormers with segmentally arched cartouches protrude from the mansard roof 22 The wing at the eastern end of the 82nd Street facade is one bay wide and is clad with rusticated limestone blocks at its base 22 An oriel window which resembles a conservatory projects from the facade at the second story 19 22 There is a fluted corbel below the oriel window as well as floral ornament around the window 19 Similarly to the other bays the third floor contains a rectangular window and the fourth floor contains a segmental arch with a cartouche just above it Above the fourth floor the facade of the eastern wing is recessed behind a balustrade 22 Fifth Avenue Edit On Fifth Avenue all three bays are curved outward and are placed within a limestone frame As with the 82nd Street elevation the basement and first floors are clad with rusticated limestone the outer portions of the facade above the first floor are made of red brick There are limestone balustrades in front of the second floor windows as well as garlands on the spandrel panel between the second and third story windows The third and fourth story windows all have iron window guards and the third story windows are additionally topped by brackets As with the center bay of the 82nd Street elevation there is a balustrade above the fourth floor and a cornice above the fifth floor 19 22 Features Edit The house is variously cited as covering 19 000 sq ft 1 800 m2 20 23 or 20 000 sq ft 1 900 m2 24 25 according to The Wall Street Journal the house covers 19 628 sq ft 1 823 5 m2 26 The space is split across eight levels including a basement 23 Original design Edit The structure originally had either seven 20 or eight bedrooms 27 as well as ten bathrooms 27 There were also eleven fireplaces and three elevators 24 28 The interior of the house was originally decorated in the French Neoclassical style 17 22 The original decorations included sconces moldings and wood paneling which were largely preserved in later years 17 The first through third floors largely retain their original layout The main entrance on 82nd Street leads to an outer vestibule clad with marble a set of doors leads to a stair hall and other ground level spaces 22 Within the stair hall is a curved staircase to the second floor which has an iron railing 22 The staircase runs the entire height of the building linking with each story 21 The staircase opens directly into a music room on the second floor The music room contains arched doorways on its west and east walls which respectively lead to a parlor and a dining room The music room s south wall contains an elevator and another doorway both of which are topped by panels with motifs depicting musical instruments The dining room to the east of the music room contains roundels with putti vines painted using a trompe l œil technique simple paneling on the walls and a marble fireplace mantel There is a kitchen to the east of the dining room The parlor west of the music room contains wall paneling ornamented by classical moldings urns and cartouches as well as a white fireplace mantel topped by a frieze with guilloche moldings In addition the parlor windows facing Fifth Avenue contain ornate frames with brackets which support entablatures above the windows 29 On the upper floors the stairway connects with a landing that is flanked by two main rooms to the west and the east 21 The master bedroom is to the east of the third floor landing while a library room is to the west The doorways in the master bedroom are decorated with foliate and guilloche moldings and the master bedroom also has a marble fireplace mantel A plainly designed bedroom is to the east of the master bedroom within the house s easternmost wing The western part of the third floor contains a rococo style library with a red marble mantel as well as bookcase built into the walls 29 Modifications Edit Karl Bock redesigned the house in the 1920s 9 22 when many of the original Victorian designs were simplified 17 Bock further renovated some of the spaces in the 1930s and 1940s These included an oval bathroom with mirrors and black marble on the walls another bathroom with blue glass tiles and a modern style sink and a dressing room with ribbon striped sycamore 9 The modern day interior also contains gold leaf trimmed fixtures and intricate friezes 30 By the mid 1980s two offices occupied the western and eastern portions of the ground floor The Dukes occupied an apartment on the second and third floors while they rented out another apartment on the fourth and fifth floors in addition the sixth floor contained servants rooms 29 In 1995 the original residence was divided into three apartments as well as a 250 sq ft 23 m2 room for the Duke family on the ground floor The first four stories became a four story apartment measuring 9 800 sq ft 910 m2 The fifth floor contained another apartment spanning one story An additional floor was created by raising the mansard roof accommodating a third apartment on the sixth and seventh floors 9 By the 2010s the house had 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms 28 History EditBefore William W and Thomas M Hall had developed the mansions at 1006 1009 Fifth Avenue the site at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street was undeveloped 10 In July 1899 the Halls hired Welch Smith amp Provot to design three five story mansions at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street at a cost of 255 000 31 The New York City Department of Buildings granted the developers a single work permit for the three houses occupying the lots at 1007 1009 Fifth Avenue All three houses were completed in 1901 10 Duke ownership Edit Benjamin and James Duke Edit The Halls sold the houses at 1007 through 1009 Fifth Avenue in April 1901 32 Kate F Timmerman and William A Hall b had respectively acquired the adjacent houses at 1007 and 1008 Fifth Avenue 10 33 while William H Gelshenen occupied 1006 Fifth Avenue 10 Contemporary sources initially reported that tobacco businessman James Buchanan Duke had acquired the house at 1009 Fifth Avenue facing 82nd Street 33 34 That June William W Hall finalized his sale of 1009 Fifth Avenue to James s brother Benjamin Newton Duke 35 36 the chairman of the American Tobacco Company which Benjamin and James Duke had cofounded 4 37 Benjamin and his wife Sarah Duke are recorded as having owned the house during the early 1900s 27 It is not known why Benjamin Duke did not develop his own house as he was worth 60 million at the time Nonetheless the house was originally unoccupied Benjamin is recorded as having lived at a hotel Hoffman House until 1907 9 In late 1906 James met cotton heiress Nanaline Holt Inman at a party in his brother s house James married Nanaline eight months later in July 1907 and bought a plot at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 78th Street where he intended to build a mansion 38 39 That November James acquired the house at 1009 Fifth Avenue from his brother 40 41 James is recorded as having lived in the house by early 1908 when he gave testimony from his bedroom as part of an antitrust lawsuit that that the federal government had brought against the American Tobacco Company 42 43 Benjamin Duke moved to the Plaza Hotel in 1909 By the 1910 United States census James and Nanaline lived there along with Nanaline s mother Florence Holt and nine servants 9 James s mansion at Fifth Avenue and 78th Street the James B Duke House was completed in 1912 4 37 The same year Benjamin built his own house at Fifth Avenue and 89th Street on the future site of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum 9 The banker Moses Taylor who worked for the firm Kean Taylor amp Co leased the house in December 1913 for 30 000 per year 44 45 The mansion became the residence of one of Benjamin Duke s sons Angier Buchanan Duke and Angier s wife Cordelia Biddle of the wealthy Biddle family 37 Angier and Cordelia s son Angier Biddle Duke was born at the house in 1915 46 Biddle family Edit Viewed from the steps of The Met Fifth Avenue across Fifth Avenue By the early 1920s the house was occupied by Angier s sister Mary Lillian Duke Biddle and her husband A J Drexel Biddle Jr 9 37 Sources disagree over whether the Biddles moved into the house in 1919 9 47 or 1922 37 The couple had two children their daughter Mary Duke Biddle II later Mary Semans was born in 1920 while their son Nicholas B D Biddle was born in 1921 They split their time between 1009 Fifth Avenue and an estate in Irvington New York 48 Mary Lillian Duke was responsible for renovating the house s interior removing some plasterwork adding black marble decorations in one bathroom and adding brass and wrought iron railings to one of the staircases 24 These decorations were designed by Karl Bock whose additions were largely supplemented the original French style decorations 9 By the mid 1920s many of Fifth Avenue s former mansions were rapidly being replaced with apartment buildings although the Biddles mansion remained intact 49 The Biddles divorced in 1931 50 upon which Mary Lillian Duke retained ownership of the house 37 The younger Mary and her brother Nicholas continued to live at 1009 Fifth Avenue with their mother 51 During the 1930s the elder Mary hosted several events at the house including a 1936 musicale with many high society guests 52 Bock continued to make alterations to the house throughout the 1930s and 1940s 9 Mary Lillian Duke bought an estate in Durham North Carolina in 1935 and began spending increasing amounts of time there By 1950 she lived in Durham for six months of the year splitting her remaining time between 1009 Fifth Avenue and another estate in Florida 48 The facade was repainted gray in the 1950s 17 Mary Lillian Duke continued to own 1009 Fifth Avenue until her death in 1960 53 Mary Duke Biddle II and her husband doctor James Semans assumed ownership of the house after the elder Mary had died 17 37 By then 1009 Fifth Avenue was one of five remaining single family mansions on the Millionaires Row section of Fifth Avenue 54 During the early 1960s the upper stories were split into a separate apartment 17 Preservation Edit In the early 1970s Sol Goldman and Donald Zucker announced plans to demolish the houses at 1006 1008 Fifth Avenue and 2 East 82nd Street replacing them with a 25 story apartment house 55 Mary Semans not only refused to sell her family s house but was also petitioning the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission LPC to designate the building as a landmark At the time Semans occupied two floors while New York University s Hall of Fame occupied the ground story 56 Semans reportedly rejected sales offers of over 1 million for her family s house 55 A local group the Neighborhood Association to Preserve Fifth Avenue Houses received an injunction in September 1972 preventing 1006 and 1007 Fifth Avenue from being demolished 56 The New York Supreme Court overturned the injunction two days later and the buildings were immediately razed 12 By 1973 the LPC was considering designating 998 1008 and 1009 Fifth Avenue and 2 East 82nd Street as city landmarks 55 Although the Neighborhood Association had wanted the LPC to host a public hearing for the entire city block the LPC was only considering these four buildings as individual city landmarks 57 The American Institute of Architects and priest Louis Gigante were among those who supported the designations 57 The LPC designated 998 and 1009 Fifth Avenue as city landmarks on February 19 1974 preventing major changes to these buildings without the LPC s permission 58 59 However the LPC declined to designate the other two structures which Goldman and Zucker owned 57 in particular 1008 Fifth Avenue was ineligible for landmark designation because it had been heavily modified 13 Richard Peck of The New York Times wrote that the house s landmark designation only covered a single site and has not preserved the block against a high rise of two and a half room apartment units 60 The Neighborhood Association sued the LPC in March 1975 claiming that the agency had refused to consider designating the stretch of 82nd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues including 1009 Fifth Avenue as a New York City historic district 57 That year a state judge ruled that the LPC was required to at least host public hearings for the proposed district 58 The LPC finally began considering designating 1009 Fifth Avenue as part of the Metropolitan Museum Historic District in early 1977 it was larger than the proposed 82nd Street historic district 61 As negotiations for the Metropolitan Museum district proceeded the neighboring house at 1008 Fifth Avenue was demolished in March 1975 13 That September the LPC designated 1009 Fifth Avenue as part of the Metropolitan Museum Historic District a collection of 19th and early 20th century mansions around Fifth Avenue between 78th and 86th Streets 62 63 Ultimately Goldman and Zucker s original plan fell through and Peter Kalikow leased the apartment house site 64 Renovations Edit The house underwent a two year restoration in the 1980s to designs by Gerald Allen who restored the exterior based on drawings in the collection of Columbia University s Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Joseph Fiebiger whose grandfather had created the original wrought iron decorations was hired to rebuild the corroded copper roof Between six and eight employees of the Fiebiger company worked on the project for two years The firm created 48 molds of pieces on the existing roof then manufactured custom replacement pieces in its workshop it had to buy a custom hydraulic press to mold the copper pieces The Fiebiger company also installed six wrought iron finials as a gift to the Duke family 17 The balustrades on the facade were also replaced 24 The contractors used a biodegradable paint remover on the facade and they treated the wrought iron window guards with polyurethane epoxy and an organic zinc mixture to prevent the iron from rusting The Semans family then restored the interiors using photographs that were stored in the attic of one of the Duke family s houses in North Carolina 17 The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 1 Mary Semans placed her family s house for sale in 1991 but wished to retain part of the house as a pied a terre 65 At this point Semans mostly lived in North Carolina 65 66 Bradford Gannett of Coldwell Banker who had been hired to sell the house said he was negotiating with foundations or wealthy individuals involved with the arts who could preserve the house if he could not find a seller 65 Semans also began negotiating to sell some of the house s unused air rights to Kalikow 67 who had been forced to seal up several apartments in the townhouse at 2 East 82nd Street to obtain 15 000 sq ft 1 400 m2 of additional space in the apartment building at 1001 Fifth Avenue 64 The sale of the air rights would allow Kalikow to unseal the apartments at 2 East 82nd Street 67 Semans ultimately withdrew her offer to sell the house 25 By 1995 the Duke family was renovating the house into luxury condominium apartments At the time the descendants of Benjamin Duke only occupied a single room in the house The project also included renovating the basement into doctors offices raising the roof to create a seventh story and splitting the interior into three floors 9 As part of this project the plumbing and heating systems were also refurbished 24 Although the condominium conversion was ultimately canceled 25 some of the space was rented out 24 The four story apartment was rented for 50 000 a month 9 26 Sales Edit Sapir ownership Edit Mary Semans placed the mansion for sale in 2005 as none of her descendants lived in the city 25 68 The mansion which was described as the last intact mansion on Fifth Avenue was listed for 50 million making it the second most expensive residence in New York City at the time 68 Semans said of any potential buyer The only thing I would like is that they keep the house sort of the way it is now 24 One of the three brokers Sharon Baum of the Corcoran Group marketed the house as a single family residence though potential buyers could also divide the house into multiple condos 25 Because of its high asking price the house s brokers only offered tours to potential buyers after checking their bank accounts 24 68 The brokers experienced difficulties in showing the house to prospective buyers as the brokers needed permission from the two existing tenants and they could not show the building when staff members were on vacation 24 By August 2005 sixteen millionaires had visited the property 69 and three had made bids Among the bidders were rock musician Lenny Kravitz who wished to acquire the Duke Semans Mansion as a headquarters for his company Kravitz Design 24 68 In total 40 prospective buyers toured the house before it was sold 20 Tamir Sapir an American businessman and former taxi driver paid 40 million for the building in January 2006 20 70 This was the highest amount ever paid for a townhouse in Manhattan at the time 27 At the time Sapir planned to move his collection of sculptures to the upper floors 28 70 He had also planned to live in the penthouse with his partner and their daughter who was then two years old 20 70 Sapir ultimately never moved his sculpture collection to the house 71 and a proposal to convert the house to luxury apartments also failed 66 Slim ownership Edit Sapir placed the mansion for sale in January 2010 for 50 million 26 28 and Paula Del Nunzio of brokerage firm Brown Harris Stevens was hired to market the building under an exclusive listing agreement 72 73 Sapir finalized his sale of the building in July 2010 sources initially reported that a Russian businessman had bought the house 71 74 Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim at the time the richest person in the world was reported as the buyer having paid 44 million 26 75 At the time it was the fourth most expensive townhouse ever sold in New York City 26 Brown Harris Stevens sued Sapir for breach of contract in August 2010 claiming that Sapir had tried to avoid paying a broker s commission to Del Nunzio by secretly negotiating directly with Slim then waiting until Del Nunzio s contract had expired before finalizing the sale 72 73 Brown Harris Stevens alleged that when Sapir sold the house to Slim he had already agreed to sell the house to a client of Del Nunzio for 37 million 76 The lawsuit was settled in December 2010 76 77 In May 2015 Sotheby s placed 1009 Fifth Avenue for sale at an asking price of 80 million nearly twice the amount Slim had paid for it The house became one of the most expensive public listings in New York City 78 79 80 Slim canceled the sale in early 2016 after no one expressed interest in buying the house 81 He placed the house for sale again in January 2023 21 82 Critical reception EditSoon after the house was completed Montgomery Schuyler criticized mansions on Fifth Avenue in general saying We hold these truths to be self evident that when a man goes into six figures for his dwelling house he ought not to make its upperworks of sheet metal That is a cheap pretence which nothing can distinguish from vulgarity 9 By contrast Richard Peck of The New York Times wrote in 1974 that 1009 Fifth Avenue was quintessential Fifth Avenue Beaux Arts 60 Christopher Gray writing for the same newspaper in 1995 said that the house s modern style rooms were among the most unusual interiors on Fifth Avenue 9 The New York Observer wrote in 2015 that the building was a Beaux Arts confection eight stories tall with a corner orientation that offers that most rare of townhouse qualities good light 83 See also EditList of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th StreetsReferences EditNotes Edit The 1974 New York City landmark designation report speculates that the design was by Alexander McMillan Welch who had worked with the Halls before founding the Welch Smith amp Provit firm with Bowen B Smith and George Provot 4 but later sources list only the firm as architect 2 3 According to Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977 p 93 William A Hall of 1007 Fifth Avenue is not related to the developers Citations Edit a b National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service March 13 2009 a b c d e f New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Dolkart Andrew S Postal Matthew A 2009 Postal Matthew A ed Guide to New York City Landmarks 4th ed New York John Wiley amp Sons p 173 ISBN 978 0 470 28963 1 a b c d White Norval Willensky Elliot Leadon Fran 2010 AIA Guide to New York City 5th ed New York Oxford University Press p 452 ISBN 978 0 19538 386 7 a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974 p 1 a b c 1009 Fifth Avenue 10028 New York City Department of City Planning Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 20 2020 White Norval Willensky Elliot Leadon Fran 2010 AIA Guide to New York City 5th ed New York Oxford University Press p 448 ISBN 978 0 19538 386 7 a b c d e f National Park Service 1989 p 2 In the Real Estate Field August Belmont Sells Corner of 81st Street and Fifth Avenue for 1 000 00 The New York Times November 24 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gray Christopher February 5 1995 Streetscapes 1009 Fifth Avenue Luxury Rental Units in a Fifth Avenue Mansion The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977 p 93 Real Estate News Audubon Assn Buys Residence On 5th Avenue National Organization of Societies Takes Five Slory Duelling Opposite Art Museum for 83 000 New York Herald Tribune April 4 1938 p 26 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1243035913 a b McQuiston John T September 22 1972 Court Lifts Ban on Razing Of 2 Houses on 5th Ave The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c Ouindlen Anna March 2 1977 5th Ave Group Loses Town House but May Win War The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Roterman Natalie October 12 2015 Carlos Slim New York Mansion Take A Look Inside The 80 Million Property For Sale Latin Times Archived from the original on April 20 2020 Retrieved January 20 2020 a b c National Park Service 1989 p 7 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977 p 120 a b c d e f g h i j Giovannini Joseph September 26 1985 The Wraps Come Off a 1901 Beaux arts Mansion The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 22 2017 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c d National Park Service 1989 pp 2 3 a b c d e f g h Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974 p 2 a b c d e f Nichols Adam January 11 2006 Cabbie Buys a Duke dom Daily News p 8 Archived from the original on March 8 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c d McLaughlin Katherine January 26 2023 A Gilded Age Mansion in New York City Just Listed for 80 Million Architectural Digest Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l National Park Service 1989 p 3 a b Finn Robin July 26 2013 Call Me Mansion The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 8 2022 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c d e f g h i j Rich Motoko August 10 2005 A 50 Million Price Tag and Still a Fixer Upper The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c d e Neuman William April 10 2005 A 20 Million Town House in Brooklyn No Fooling The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 14 2022 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c d e Barbanel Josh July 28 2010 Slim Pickings 44 Million Home Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on September 18 2021 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c d Fine Camille February 16 2023 Last true mansion on New York City s iconic Fifth Avenue listed at 80 million See inside USA TODAY Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c d Sapir puts famed mansion back on market The Real Deal January 11 2010 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c National Park Service 1989 p 4 Plitt Amy October 1 2015 Finally Go Inside Carlos Slim s 80M Upper East Side Mansion Curbed NY Archived from the original on November 15 2019 Retrieved January 23 2020 Projected Buildings Borough of Manhattan The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 64 no 1633 July 1 1899 p 21 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 via columbia edu In the Real Estate Field Another Upper Fifth Avenue Mansion Sold for 200 000 Sales by Brokers and at Auction The New York Times April 16 1901 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b In the Real Estate Field Scottish Rite Hall Property Resold Other Dealings by Brokers and in the Auction Room The New York Times April 17 1901 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Gossip of the Week The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 67 no 1727 April 20 1901 p 697 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 via columbia edu Real Estate Transfers New York Tribune June 12 1901 p 12 ProQuest 570939059 Real Estate Transfers The New York Times June 12 1901 p 11 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 96094532 a b c d e f g National Park Service 1989 p 8 James B Duke Weds Mrs Inman Founder of the Tobacco Trust Divorced Last Year Marries Cotton Merchant s Widow The New York Times July 24 1907 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 James B Duke Weds Mrs Inman and Gives Her 1 600 000 Present The Atlanta Constitution July 24 1907 p 1 ProQuest 496140143 Conveyances Borough of Manhattan The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 80 no 2071 November 23 1907 p 859 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 via columbia edu Real Estate Transfers The New York Times November 16 1907 p 14 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 96747437 J B Duke s Bedroom Serves as a Court Head of Tobacco Company Testifies in Bed in Government s Suit to Annul Its Charter The New York Times February 26 1908 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Duke in Bed Testifies Head of American Tobacco Company Examined in Government Suit New York Tribune February 26 1908 p 10 ProQuest 572076432 Moses Taylor Rents Old Home of James B Duke Dwelling at Fifth Avenue and 82d Street Held at 30 000 a Year New York Tribune December 30 1913 p 12 ProQuest 575195094 The Real Estate Field Upper Third Avenue Property Purchased by an Investor Former Fifth Avenue Home of J B Duke Leased for 30 000 a Year New Yorkers Buy Westchester and Connecticut Farms The New York Times December 30 1913 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Stork Brings Heir to Duke Biddle Riches The Buffalo Enquirer December 2 1915 p 1 Archived from the original on March 8 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977 p 95 a b Mary Duke Biddle Estate PDF Report National Register of Historic Places National Park Service 2013 p 22 Archived PDF from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 New Architecture on Fifth Avenue The New York Times May 16 1926 p RE1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 103907298 Drexel Biddle Jr Divorced Up state Wife Motors From New York With Party for Secret Hearing at Newburgh The New York Times March 8 1931 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Mrs Duke s Will Aids University Bequests of 1 000 000 and 500 000 Made in Names of Husband and Son The New York Times October 8 1936 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Mrs Duke Biddle Gives a Musicale She Is Hostess at Her Home on Fifth Avenue to Large Number of Guests The New York Times May 13 1936 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Mrs Biddle s Rites Set Today at Duke The New York Times June 16 1960 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Ennis Thomas W June 12 1960 Remnants of Millionaire s Row Today House Libraries and Schools Few Are Still in Private Hands Stretch of Thirty Blocks Bordering on Central Park Typified Age of Elegance on Thoroughfare The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c Carmody Deirdre July 25 1973 Ban Asked on Razing of 2 Townhouses for a High Rise The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b Johnston Laurie September 20 1972 Razing of 2 Old Townhouses Is Halted The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c d Carmody Deirdre March 17 1975 Residents Near Metropolitan Museum Sue to Obtain Historic District Status The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b 5th Ave Group Wins Right to a Hearing On Landmark Status The New York Times August 12 1975 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Choose Homes As Landmarks Daily News February 20 1974 p 53 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b Peck Richard August 25 1974 On Millionaires Row Today s Issues Find An Echo in History The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on February 3 2018 Retrieved March 7 2023 Horsley Carter B January 31 1977 A Landmark District Is Proposed On 5th Ave Opposite Art Museum The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Ranzal Edward September 21 1977 Museum Area a Historic District The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on July 29 2021 Retrieved March 4 2021 Art Museum Area Named as Historic New York Daily News September 21 1977 p 290 Archived from the original on July 30 2021 Retrieved July 30 2021 via newspapers com a b Gray Christopher S April 1 1979 Zoning by Closing Rooms The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b c Postings A Vast Pied a Terre Mansion To Share The New York Times January 20 1991 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on May 25 2015 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b Hughes C J April 19 2022 The second homes of the rich and famous Crain s New York Business Archived from the original on November 23 2022 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b Gray Christopher October 26 1997 Streetscapes East 82d Street A Tale of 2 Town Houses All But Empty for Years The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 28 2017 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c d Laurence Charles August 29 2005 Last mansion on Fifth Avenue The Windsor Star p B3 Front ProQuest 254581568 Connor Tracy August 28 2005 Hey Lenny We ll Save You 49 8 M Daily News p 22 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 a b c Rich Motoko Neuman William January 10 2006 40 Million Buys Ex Cabby His Own Corner of 5th Avenue The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 a b Duke Semans Mansion sells at 10M price cut The Real Deal July 26 2010 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b BHS files suit over Duke Semans commission The Real Deal August 3 2010 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 a b Karmin Craig August 3 2010 Broker Sues Over Carlos Slim s 44 Billion Townhouse Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Polsky Sara July 27 2010 Duke Semans Mansion Sale Closes at 44 Million Curbed NY Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 The Real Estate Desk July 28 2010 Carlos Slim Buys Duke Semans Mansion for 44 M Observer Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 a b Kershaw Sarah December 31 2010 Big Deal Sale of Duke Mansion Brings a Lawsuit City Room Archived from the original on March 8 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Brown Harris Stevens settles in Duke Semans commission dispute The Real Deal December 17 2010 Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved March 7 2023 Green Dennis October 1 2015 We can finally peek inside the home of the world s second richest man Business Insider Archived from the original on April 8 2018 Retrieved January 20 2020 Mashayekhi Rey May 6 2015 Carlos Slim asking 80 million for Duke Semans Mansion The Real Deal New York Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 Clarke Katherine May 5 2015 Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim wants 80M for his massive Manhattan townhouse New York Daily News Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 Cameron Christopher January 9 2016 Carlos Slim s 80M UES townhouse is now off the market The Real Deal New York Archived from the original on March 7 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 Glanzer Ted January 21 2023 Carlos Slim Re lists Manhattan Townhouse for 80M The Real Deal New York Archived from the original on February 14 2023 Retrieved February 14 2023 Velsey Kim May 6 2015 Carlos Slim Wants 80M for Ridiculously Opulent Fifth Avenue Mansion Observer Archived from the original on December 7 2022 Retrieved March 7 2023 Sources Edit 1090 Fifth Avenue House PDF Report New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission February 19 1974 Duke Residence PDF Report National Register of Historic Places National Park Service December 7 1989 Metropolitan Museum Historic District PDF Report New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977 External links Edit Media related to Benjamin N Duke House at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Benjamin N Duke House amp oldid 1145977645, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.