12 West 56th Street

Building in Manhattan, New York June 2021 Harry B. Hollins Residence 12 West 56th Street (51396234064).jpg 250px 1901 12 West 56th Street, Manhattan, New York, US yes 40 45 45 N 73 58 32 W region:US-NY_type:landmark inline,title 4 (plus attic) 1899 Georgian Revival McKim, Mead & White Harry B. Hollins Government of Argentina yes NYCL 1266 June 19, 1984 12 West 56th Street (originally the Harry B. Hollins Residence) is a consular building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, housing the Consulate General of Argentina in New York City. It is along 56th Street's southern sidewalk between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. The four-and-a-half story building was designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Georgian Revival style. It was constructed between 1899 and 1901 as a private residence, one of several on 56th Street's "Bankers' Row". The first floor is clad with blocks of limestone, while the other floors contain red brick trimmed with limestone. The entrance is through a central porch on the east side of the building, designed by James Edwin Ruthven Carpenter Jr. as part of an annex completed in 1924. The second floor contains French windows and the third and fourth floors contain sash windows. The house was commissioned for stockbroker H. B. Hollins and his wife Evalina Hollins. The couple had initially planned to design their house alongside their neighbor Frederick C. Edey, at 10 West 56th Street, but the Hollinses built their house alone because a covenant temporarily prevented the Edey house from being built. The house was sold to the Calumet Club in 1914 and was used by the club until 1935. It was then used by several tenants for short terms, including Charles Joel Duveen, the International Silk Guild, and The Salvation Army. The government of Argentina has owned the building since 1947; it initially used the house as the offices of an Argentine Navy commission before opening a consulate there. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the house as an official landmark in 1984. Site 12 West 56th Street is in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is along the southern sidewalk of 56th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, with an alternate address of 14 West 56th Street. The land lot is rectangular and covers 5,000 ft2, with a frontage of 50 ft on 56th Street and a depth of 100.42 ft.9 West 54 Street, 10019 https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1271/47#19.59/40.762511/-73.9753415 live March 20, 2020 New York City Department of City Planning https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213758/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1271/47 June 2, 2021 The building is on the same block as the 10 West 56th Street townhouse and the 712 Fifth Avenue skyscraper to the east; the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church to the southeast; and the townhouses at 26 and 30 West 56th Street to the west. Other nearby buildings include The Peninsula New York hotel, the University Club of New York, and the Rockefeller Apartments to the south; the Corning Glass Building to the east; Trump Tower to the northeast; and 17 West 56th Street and the Crown Building to the north.White Willensky Leadon 2010 . 326 Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South (59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century.June 23, 2009 John Peirce Residence http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf April 28, 2021 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission 2 The surrounding area was once part of the common lands of the city of New York.Stokes Isaac Newton Phelps 1915 The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498–1909 https://archive.org/details/iconographyofman06stok live https://web.archive.org/web/20120415060518/http://archive.org:80/details/iconographyofman06stok April 15, 2012 6 Robert H. Dodd 67 Internet Archive The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 established Manhattan's street grid with lots measuring 100 ft deep and 25 ft wide.558 Upscale residences were constructed around Fifth Avenue following the American Civil War.578 1880 The block of 56th Street from Fifth to Sixth Avenue contained rowhouses by 1871, many of which were recessed from the lot line and had entrance stoops. By the end of the 19th century, the area had many wealthy residents, and the houses in the area were either modified or rebuilt altogether.Landmarks Preservation Commission 1984 . 1 The adjacent block of West 56th Street was developing into a "bankers' row" with the residences of Frederick C. and Birdsall Otis Edey at number 10, Henry Seligman at number 30, Edward Wasserman at number 33, and Arthur Lehman at number 31.Landmarks Preservation Commission 1984 . 2 Many of these houses persisted through the mid-20th century as part of a restaurant and retail strip.Gray Christopher Christopher Gray (architectural historian) August 28, 1994 Streetscapes/The Seligman Mansion, 30 East 56th Street; The Buyer Hopes to Reverse 'Eat Street's' Decline en-US The New York Times limited https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/28/realestate/streetscapes-seligman-mansion-30-east-56th-street-buyer-hopes-reverse-eat-street.html May 30, 2021 0362-4331 Architecture The Hollins House at 12 West 56th Street, later the Argentinian Consulate General to New York City, was designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Federal Georgian Revival style.351 1900 Of the firm's principals, Stanford White had been the most involved in the house's design.Baldwin Charles C. https://books.google.com/books?id=LyPlBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA323 Stanford White Springer US 2012 978-1-4684-6222-7 Da Capo Press series in architecture and decorative art 323 The current consular building is composed of the original residence and a 1924 annex designed by J.E.R. Carpenter on the eastern side of the house.White Willensky Leadon 2010 . 335 The house is an early example of a brick Colonial Revival house in New York City with three-dimensional decorations.https://catalog.archives.gov/medialz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85002294.pdf Historic Structures Report: Sutton Place Historic District Sep 12, 1985 National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service 8 12 West 56th Street was planned and constructed nearly simultaneously with the house of Frederick C. Edey at 10 West 56th Street. However, because of a covenant that temporarily halted construction at number 10, they were designed in different styles by different firms.10 West 56th Street was designed by Warren and Wetmore in the French Renaissance Revival style with some Beaux-Arts design elements. Of the houses' contrasting designs, Christopher Gray wrote for The New York Times in 2007: "The two houses are paired in an uneasy dance, one doing the cancan, the other a minuet." Facade thumb|alt=Refer to caption|Detail of upper stories The main portion of the building, the original residence, is at 14 West 56th Street and is four and a half stories tall. It consists of three vertical bays of windows. The first floor is clad with rusticated blocks of limestone and has three recessed windows. The center window at the first floor is wider than the other windows on that floor, as it was originally the main entrance to the house. This center opening originally had five steps leading to a portico with Doric-style columns.Gray Christopher Christopher Gray (architectural historian) April 8, 2007 One Dances the Cancan, the Other the Minuet en-US The New York Times limited https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/realestate/08scap.html May 28, 2021 0362-4331 The other stories on 56th Street are clad with brick. The second story has three French windows with their own iron balconies, as well as carved stone lunettes. A horizontal string course runs under the second-story lunettes and connects them. The third and fourth stories have double hung windows with splayed stone lintels, as well as a string course just below the fourth floor. The center window at the third story formerly had an iron balcony but was subsequently equipped with a flagpole and Argentine flag. Above the fourth floor is a cornice with modillions, as well as a peaked roof above it.Landmarks Preservation Commission 1984 . 3 White had designed the building with a setback wing facing 10 West 56th Street, which had been developed nearly simultaneously. The decorative detail from the main facade was copied to the side facade, which faced a courtyard between 10 and 12 West 56th Street. On the east side of 12 West 56th Street is the two-story wing, designed for the Calumet Club. The portion of the annex facing the street contains the building's main entrance, a single-story aedicule with a metal gate inside an archway. The entrance is made of limestone and flanked by Corinthian-style fluted pilasters. The second story of the wing is slightly set back from the entrance portico. History The house was commissioned for Harry Bowly Hollins, a financier, banker, and railroad magnate who founded the firm H.B. Hollins & Co in 1878.February 25, 1938 Harry B. Hollins, 84, Long a Broker Here; Organizer of Firm Bearing His Name, Active in Banking Since 1870, Is Dead en-US 17 The New York Times subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/02/25/98102569.pdf May 28, 2021 0362-4331 His partner at the firm was Frederick Edey, a stockbroker who initially worked for Charles C. Edey & Sons before becoming a partner at H.B. Hollins & Co. from 1886 to 1892.July 24, 2007 Frederick C. and Birdsall Otis Edey Residence http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2226.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213758/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2226.pdf June 2, 2021 May 27, 2021 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission 3 Hollins and Edey commuted from Long Island to Midtown together, and their firm worked with J.P. Morgan & Co. Harry B. Hollins was married to Evelina Meserole Knapp Hollins, and the couple had five children: McKim, John K., Gerald V., Harry B. Jr., and Marion. Residence thumb|alt=Refer to caption|Original appearance of the house in 1901 In February 1899, Hollins bought a 75 by 100 ft on lot at 10-14 West 56th Street, on its southern sidewalk about 250 ft west of Fifth Avenue.February 4, 1899 In the Real Estate Field: Another Boulevard Corner Sold -- Dealing Mostly in Small Properties -- Auction Sales. 10 The New York Times 0362-4331 95738183March 25, 1899 Conveyances https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_023&page=ldpd_7031148_023_00000605&no=13 The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide 63 531 columbia.edu 1619 Hollins sold the easternmost 25 ft of the lot later the same month. On the remainder of the site, he planned to build a 38 ft -wide mid residence, with a gap between his house and the lot he had just sold.February 17, 1899 In the Real Estate Field: Lots on Fifty-sixth Street, the Boulevard, and St. Nicholas Avenue Sold -- Other Dealings. 10 The New York Times 0362-4331 95732455 Edey was recorded as the buyer of the 25-foot-wide lot at 10 West 56th Street. These were the only two vacant lots on the block at the time.Gray Christopher Christopher Gray (architectural historian) March 7, 1999 Streetscapes / Readers' Questions; Dad's House, Stanford White Design, Swami's Visit en-US The New York Times limited https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/07/realestate/streetscapes-readers-questions-dad-s-house-stanford-white-design-swami-s-visit.html May 29, 2021 0362-4331 Hollins and Edey agreed to construct their houses jointly and build their respective houses to the lot line. Hollins hired McKim, Mead & White to design his house, but an 1881 covenant prevented Edey from building a structure out to the lot line until 1901. As a result, Hollins was able to start work on his house right away. Edey had to wait two years and ultimately hired Warren and Wetmore instead. The Hollins family moved into the house when it was completed in 1901. The Hollins property extended south to 55th Street, abutting the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. The 55th Street portion of the property included a collection of horse stables at 13-17 West 55th Street, which had been used by newspaper publisher Robert Bonner.October 21, 1913 The Real Estate Field: Operators Buy Fifty-fifth Street Plot From Henry B. Hollins -- Includes Old Bonner Stable, Now Leased to Mrs. John Astor -- Sherwood Studio in $1,000,000 Trade -- Business Leases. 15 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/10/21/100575061.pdf 0362-4331 97503159 The Hollins family officially lived in Islip, Long Island, at least according to a 1905 census conducted by the New York state government. The Islip house, Meadow Farm, was the Hollins family's country residence, while the 12 West 56th Street house was their city residence. Leland Roth writes that McKim, Mead & White made renovations to the house in 1903.Roth Leland McKim, Mead & White, Architects Harper & Row 1983 978-0-06-430136-7 9325269 https://archive.org/details/bwb_P8-AIO-646 registration 77Landmarks Preservation Commission 1984 . 4 However, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was unable to find records of any alterations made in 1903. Edey's house was completed around the same time. Over the next decade, the Edey and Hollins families did not host any events together, and neither The Brooklyn Daily Eagle nor The New York Times made any mention of the two houses as a pair. The 55th Street horse stables were sold in October 1913 to a developer who planned to raze the stables for apartments. The same month, Harry B. Hollins leased the house to Vincent Astor and his mother Mrs. John Astor as a winter residence at a total rental of $25,000.November 14, 1913 Hollins & Co. Fail, Owing $5,000,000: Bankers Long Favored by Morgan Came Upon Dull Years and Expenses Bore Them Down 3 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/11/14/100578104.pdf 0362-4331 97415980October 8, 1913 Men and Women; Gossip and News About Prominent Persons 5 The Buffalo Commercial newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78499584/men-and-women-gossip-and-news-about/ May 28, 2021 The Hollins family fled to the Gotham Hotel (now the Peninsula) around that time.November 14, 1913 Hollins Failure May Hurt Others 3 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78498990/hollins-failure-may-hurt-others/ May 28, 2021 In their departure, the Hollins family had left the house fully furnished. Shortly afterward came the failure of H.B. Hollins and Company, which had $5 million in debt when it was forced into bankruptcy on November 13.November 14, 1913 H. B. Hollins & Co. Fail for $5,000,000 1 New-York Tribune 575147181 Ultimately, the Hollins family moved to Bay Shore on Long Island. The Astors' lease in the former Hollins house expired at the end of May 1914.May 1, 1914 Vincent Astor Weds Helen Huntington; Pallid From Illness, but Active in the Festivities After the Ceremony en-US 13 The New York Times subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/05/01/100311735.pdf May 28, 2021 0362-4331 By then, the surrounding neighborhood was rapidly becoming a commercial zone, and many neighboring townhouses were converted to commercial use. Subsequent use thumb|alt=Refer to caption|The space between 10 and 12 West 56th Street, originally a courtyard, now contains number 12's entrance. In early 1914, the Calumet Club of Fifth Avenue and 29th Street voted to move further north.May 26, 1914 Calumet Club to Move.: Harry B. Hollins's Residence in 56th Street Considered. 10 The New York Times subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/05/26/100092562.pdf 0362-4331 97624238 The club purchased an option for the Hollins house at the end of May. The next week, the club's leadership decided upon the Hollins residence as their new headquarters.June 4, 1914 Calumet Club Arranges to Move 9 The Sun newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78500205/calumet-club-arranges-to-move/ May 28, 2021June 5, 1914 The Real Estate Field 18 The New York Times newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78500301/the-real-estate-field/ May 28, 2021 0362-4331June 6, 1914 Real Estate Notes https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_053&page=ldpd_7031148_053_00001235&no=2 The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide 93 1015 columbia.edu 2412 The club officially took title to the building in July, with plans to remodel the house and open it by that September.July 1, 1914 Trade in Calummet Clubhouse 14 The Sun newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78501903/trade-in-calummet-clubhouse/ May 28, 2021July 4, 1914 Calumet Club Leases https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_054&page=ldpd_7031148_054_00000043&no=1 The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide 94 13 columbia.edu 2416 The next month, the club's directors received permission to extend the duration of a $170,000 mortgage and take out another mortgage of $75,000 for the house.August 2, 1914 Calumet Club Mortgage.: Court Grants Permission to Increase Present Mortgage. X13 The New York Times 0362-4331 97532871 Records show that McKim, Mead & White was hired to redesign the house. The club moved into the house later the same year. At that time, it was one of several clubs clustered around Fifth Avenue in Midtown; others included the Knickerbocker Club and Colony Club.Embury Aymar II Jan 1916 From 23rd Street up https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=iau.31858033649116&view=1up&seq=649 The Brickbuilder 25 283 In 1924, J.E.R. Carpenter was hired to remodel the Calumet Club again and to add an entrance portico on the eastern side of the original house. By the late 1920s, many of the old clubs around Fifth Avenue in midtown were moving elsewhere.August 11, 1929 Few Clubs Remain on Fifth Avenue: Union and Union League Have Acquired Park Avenue Sites for New Homes. RE12 The New York Times 0362-4331 104717162 The Calumet Club closed in May 1935 due to a lack of money. As part of a foreclosure proceeding against the club, the Hollins house was placed for auction.September 20, 1935 Old Calumet Club to Be Sold Oct. 3: Foreclosure Action Forced by Economic Conditions, Former Officers Assert 22 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/09/20/93775759.pdf 0362-4331 101362872September 22, 1935 Early American Houses Lead Style Popularity H9 New York Herald Tribune 1221749468 From that September, the house was occupied by antiques dealer Charles J. Duveen for his firm Charles of London.August 23, 1935 Antique Dealer Rents Building In Plaza Seetion: Charles of London to Move to Former Calnmel Club Building; Other Leases 30 New York Herald Tribune 1254735192 The next month, Chase National Bank acquired the building at auction for $184,000.October 4, 1935 Bank Takes Over Old Calumet Club: Chase National Gets Building in West 56th Street on $184,000 Bid 42 The New York Times 0362-4331 101312099 The antiques store operated for two and a half years, and Duveen announced in May 1938 that he would retire and close his store.April 15, 1938 Charles of London to End Store Here: Sale This Month to Close 45 Years as Interior Decorator 17 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/04/15/98121842.pdf 0362-4331 102588342 In July 1939, the International Silk Guild bought 12 West 56th Street and remodeled it for its new headquarters.July 3, 1939 Silk Guild Moving to West 56th St.: Larger Demand for Services Leads to Purchase of a Five-story Building 25 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/07/03/93936820.pdf 0362-4331 102908354July 4, 1939 Silk Guild Buys Calumet Club's Former Home: Takes West 56th St. Building in $225,000 Deal 26 New York Herald Tribune 1320007169 At the time, the sale price was indicated at $140,000. The building was sold in January 1943 to The Salvation Army.January 26, 1943 1846 House Bought in W. Ninth Street: Old Dwelling Occupied for 27 Years by R. S. Childs Sold to Samuel Klein 31 The New York Times 0362-4331 106581484January 26, 1943 Salvation Army Buys Building In West 56th St: Property Will Be Used as Service Club; Upper 8th Avenue Property Sold 28 New York Herald Tribune 1267955295 The Salvation Army paid $50,000 for the property. The house was to be opened 24 hours a day as a Red Shield Service Club, a lodge and retreat for members of the military.February 8, 1943 Club for Service Men: Salvation Army to Have 24-hour-a-day Home for Them 34 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/02/08/85083765.pdf 0362-4331 106529977 The Salvation Army retreat opened in June 1943. It had a lounge, game room, writing room, dining canteen, kitchen, library, and eighteen bedrooms with sixty beds.June 15, 1943 Salvation Army Opens Its 5th Red Shield Club: Former Calumet CIub Building Made Service Men's Center 13A New York Herald Tribune 1267803194June 15, 1943 New Club Opened by Salvation Army: Building at 12 West 56th St. To Be for Service Men 17 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/06/15/85107128.pdf 0362-4331 106672316 The Salvation Army operated the retreat until the end of World War II and, in that time, served 175,000 members of the military. The canteen had an average attendance of 1,600 in 1944.October 15, 1946 Service Club Sold on W. 56th Street: Salvation Army Disposes of Its Wartime Canteen and Dormitory Property 52 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/10/15/94065622.pdf 0362-4331 107718716 The Salvation Army sold the building in October 1946 to Nettie Rosenstein Accessories Corporation, which planned to move to the building in January 1947. Nettie Rosenstein Associates changed its plans to move to the house, selling it to the government of Argentina in May 1947.May 4, 1947 Argentine Government Acquires Former Home of Calumet Club D1 New York Herald Tribune 1268020565May 4, 1947 Argentina Buys Old Club Building: Acquires the Former Calumet Quarters on W. 56th St. For Naval Commission R1 The New York Times 0362-4331 107949543 The Argentine government planned to renovate the house extensively and house the Argentine Navy's naval commission there. The Argentine Navy offices opened in July 1947.July 9, 1947 Argentine Navy Unit Opens Quarters Here 7 The New York Times June 1, 2021 subscription http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1947/07/09/87779457.pdf 0362-4331 107886569 The Argentine consulate to the United States in New York City opened in the building afterward. The consulate also held events such as auctions; when Argentine president Juan Perón was ousted in 1955, the New York consulate sold the large jewelry and valuable collections that Perón and his wife Eva had owned.December 5, 1957 A Gold Bar? Silver? Peron Items for Sale 180 New York Daily News newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78621088/a-gold-bar-silver-peron-items-for-sale/ May 30, 2021 In 1982, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held public hearings to consider 12 West 56th Street and several other structures for city landmark status.White Joyce February 10, 1982 Neighbors of ex-synagogue saved by landmark decision 109 New York Daily News newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388007/neighbors-of-ex-synagogue-saved-by/ May 27, 2021 The LPC voted on the nomination in June 1984,Shepard Joan June 13, 1984 Landmarkers nix Historical Society 111 New York Daily News newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388048/landmarkers-nix-historical-society/ May 27, 2021 and, on June 19 of that year, designated 12 West 56th Street as a city landmark.Dallas Gus June 21, 1984 Four buildings win landmarking 125 New York Daily News newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388101/four-buildings-win-landmarking/ May 27, 2021 As of 2021, the house still serves as the Argentine consulate to the United States in New York City.January 1, 2010 Contact us https://cnyor.cancilleria.gob.ar/en/content/contact-us-0 May 30, 2021 Consulate General and Promotion Center in New York es See also List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets Argentina–United States relations References Notes Citations Sources June 19, 1984 Harry B. Hollins Residence http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1266.pdf New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Landmarks Preservation Commission 1984 External links https://cnyor.cancilleria.gob.ar/en Architecture New York City Category:56th Street (Manhattan) Category:1900s architecture in the United States Category:Argentina–United States relations Category:Diplomatic missions in Manhattan Category:Diplomatic missions of Argentina Category:McKim, Mead & White buildings Category:Midtown Manhattan Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Category:Residential buildings completed in 1901 Category:Residential buildings in Manhattan Category:Georgian Revival architecture in New York City