Landmarks Preservation Commission Septemb er 30 , 1968, N u~ber 3 LP - 0270

HENRY VILLARD HOUSES (in part) , 457 Madison Avenue , Borough of Manhattan . Begun 1882, completed 1885 ; architects McKim , Mead & Whit e,

Landmark Site : Borough of Manhatt a n , Tax Map Block 1286 > Lot 52 in part, consisting o f the land on which the d e scribe d building is situated a nd that part of the Courtya rd owned by the owner of 457 Madiso n Av e nue.

On May 10 , 1966 , the Landma rks Preservatio n Commissio n held a public hearing on the propo sed designatio n as a Landmark of the Henry Villa rd Houses and the prop o sed d e sig nation of the rela ted Landmark Site. (Item No. 23) . The h earing h a d b e en duly advertised in a cco rdance with the provisions of l a w. Two witnesses spoke in favor of desig n a tio n . There we re n o spea k e rs in o ppositio n to designation.

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

Nowhere in New Yo rk City d oes the r e exist ano the r unified group of brownstone residences o f such magnitud e as this cluster standing on Madison Avenue. This great complex o f Italia n Rena issance townho uses is skilfully we ld e d i n t o o n e U-sha ped unit . surrounding a courtyard o riginally planned a s a turn- around f o r c a rriag es. Desig n e d in the ma nne r cf a Sixteenth Ce ntury palace , these building s repre s e nt the ep itome o f brownsto n e a rchitecture o f their day . Stately. and dignified in appea r a nce, the y expre ss - in their formality - a fine architectura l d e sign. This ' House o f Mansions ' represented an early break with the picturesque tra dition o f the Romantic Styles. It inaug ura ted the new f o rmalism of the Renaiss a nce , introduced h e r e f o r the first time by the a rchit e cts s McKim , Mead & White .

The street fronts are a ll unified by the b o ld (rustica ted) stonework of the bas eme nt a nd first f1ocr, with smooth wa ll surfaces (ashla r ma sonry) f o r the flo6rs a b ov e . A ston e b a nd course signalizes each fl oo r a t wind ow sill level , while a projecting cornice e ff e ct i vely crowns th e entire c om p o sitio n. The third fl oor wind ows , h a ndsomely enfra me d , a re reminisc e nt o f tho se of the Pa l a zz o d e lla Ca nc e lle ria in Rom e, while s ome of the seco nd floor wind ows display striking individua l b a lconies c a rried on c o nso le bracke ts . Th e n o rth a nd south d oors facing the c ourtya rd are con plerr.e nted , in the ir elegance , by the w e lc o~ ing a rche d l o ggia on the e a st sid e . The entra nce t o the c ourtyard is b e tween two square uprig hts surmount ed by balls between which a grace ful arch o f scro lled wroug ht iron is br i dged t o c a rry t h e centra l l a nterc.

Henry Villard (1835- 1900) , wh o built this g r oup o f Ho uses and lived in on e o f them, wa s a j o urnalist, r a ilway promo t o r and finan­ cier. He was b o rn in Rh e nish Ba varia and eni g rated to America in 1853 . n s a c o rr e spo ndent , h e c c vered the Linco ln- Do uglas cl e bat e s s the Pike ' s Pea k g o ld discovery a nd the Civil Wa r. In 1881 . with his l ove f o r j o urnalism a nd a s a man o f wealth , h e a cquired a con­ tro lling int e r e st in the Ne w York Evening Po st. During the years 1679 t o 1883 Villa rd was pro b a bly the o utstanding railway promo tor in the United Sta tes. He h e l d many impo rta nt p o sts a nd was pre side nt o f the No rthe rn Pa cif i c a nd chairma n o f the h oard until 1893 , when his r a ilwa y care er came t o a n e nd . He ma rrie d He len Fr a ncis Ga rriso n . the o nly daug ht e r o f Wi llia m Lloyd Garriso n , the abo litio nist . Oswa ld Garriso n Villa rd , the ir s o n , was publishe r and e dito r o f Na tio n Ma& azine. FINDINGS AND DESIGNA TIONS

On the basis of a careful considera tion of the histo ry, the architecture and other f eatures of this building, the Landmarks Preservatio n Commission finds that the Henry Villard Houses have a speci3l character , special historical and aesthetic interest and value as part o f the d e vel opment, heritage and cultural character­ istics cf New York City.

The Commissio n further finds that . among its important qualities , the Henry Villard Houses are a magnifice nt example of Italian Renaissance architecture, that this harmo niously c ombined comple x o f h o uses is unique in New Yo rk City , that the buildings are stately and dig nified in appearance and that in their style and cha racter they r e prese nt a fine e xpression o f a rchitectural d e sign and overall pla nning unequa l ed i n the City.

Acc o rdingly~ pursuant t o the provisio ns of Chapter 63 of the Cha rter o f the City o f New Yo rk and Chapter 8-A of the Administrative Code of the City o f New Yo rk , the Landmarks Preservatio n Commission designa t e s as a Landmark that part o f the Henry Villa rd Ho us e s which is l o cat e d a t 457 Madis on Av e nue? Bo r o ugh o f Manhattan and desig nates as its relate d La ndma rk Site tha t part o f Bc r o u g h o f Manhattan Tax Map Block 1286 , Lo t 52 which c o nta ins the l and o n which the described building is situated and tha t part of the Courtyard owned by the owne r of 457 Madiso n Avenue.