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Henry Clay Frick House
The Henry Clay Frick House (also known as the Frick Collection building or 1 East 70th Street) is a mansion and museum building on Fifth Avenue, between 70th and 71st streets, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed by Thomas Hastings as the residence of the industrialist Henry Clay Frick, the house contains the Frick Collection museum and the Frick Art Reference Library. The house and library building are designated as a New York City landmark and National Historic Landmark.
The house has three stories and is separated from Fifth Avenue by an elevated garden. It has three wings to the north, center, and south, arranged in an L shape. The limestone facade contains several carved pediments and tympana. Most of the house remained essentially unchanged from the time of its construction until 1931. The first floor contained the family's communal rooms; the second floor contained their bedrooms and private rooms; and the third floor contained the servants' quarters. There was also a basement with service areas. The first and second-floor rooms have been adapted into museum spaces over the years.
Frick bought the site of the Lenox Library in 1906 and 1907 but could not redevelop it for several years. Initially, Frick sought designs from Daniel Burnham, but ultimately he commissioned Hastings, who designed a three-story mansion in the Beaux-Arts style. Construction took place between 1912 and 1914. Frick lived in the building only until his death in 1919, but his wife Adelaide and daughter Helen continued to live there until Adelaide died in 1931. Following a renovation, and in accordance with Frick's will, the house opened to the public as the Frick Collection in 1935. The building was enlarged slightly in 1977 and 2011, which has altered the original appearance of the house. From 2020 to 2025, the house was closed for an extensive renovation that expanded the museum. Over the years, the mansion has received generally positive architectural commentary.
The Henry Clay Frick House is at 1 East 70th Street in the Lenox Hill section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Fifth Avenue and Central Park to the west, 70th Street to the south, and 71st Street to the north. The rectangular land lot occupies about half of its city block and covers 45,175 square feet (4,197 m2), with a frontage of around 200 feet (61 m) on Fifth Avenue and 275 feet (84 m) on the side streets. The mansion originally occupied a smaller, 200-by-175-foot (61 by 53 m) site, which covered about a third of the block. The rest of the city block is composed of townhouses, including 11, 15, 17, 19, and 21 East 70th Street to the east. 880 Fifth Avenue is on the block to the south, while the Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House is one block to the northwest. The mansion is part of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile and houses the Frick Collection, the southernmost museum on that strip.
The site had been part of the Lenox family's farm until the late 19th century. The site of the Frick House then became the Lenox Library, designed in a neo-Grec style by Richard Morris Hunt. The library had contained paintings and books owned by the philanthropist James Lenox. Frick's house occupies a 200-by-175-foot (61 by 53 m) site that includes both the library and an adjacent strip. The eastern half of the block was sold to other developers, who had erected residences there by 1910. The entire block was restricted to residential use until 1929, although the Frick House was excluded from this restriction in 1926. After the mansion became a museum, its site was expanded to include the land occupied by the Widener House at 5 East 70th Street (built in 1909 by Warren and Wetmore); 7 East 70th Street (built in 1911 by C. P. H. Gilbert); and a third house at 9 East 70th Street (built in 1915).
When Frick built the house in the early 1910s, he planted 13 chestnut trees on the sidewalk of Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st streets, each of which were at least 30 years old. To accommodate the trees, he excavated the sidewalk to a depth of 6 feet (1.8 m), then obtained soil from Long Island, in which the trees were planted. The trees were planted on the property for only a year and a half before all dying, because the soil was contaminated with poisonous illuminating gas. Afterward, they were replaced with sycamores. A single poplar tree, which had existed on the block before even the Lenox Library was built, remained on Frick's estate until 1918.
Most of the house, except for the gallery wing at the north end, is recessed 75 feet (23 m) behind a garden on Fifth Avenue. This contrasted with similarly large mansions built in Manhattan during the early 20th century, which were generally built as close as possible to the boundaries of their lots, and was unique for a mansion on Fifth Avenue. Original plans called for a sunken garden facing Fifth Avenue, flanked by the house on two sides, with a pool in the center. The William H. Jackson Company designed a wrought iron fence around the Fifth Avenue garden, while John Williams Inc. designed entrance gates in the same style. When the house was completed, there was a stone wall with a balustrade along Fifth Avenue, and the garden itself had evergreen trees. A pebbled path ran through the garden. A small formal garden sat at the south end of the Fifth Avenue garden, at the same level as the house's first floor. Three magnolia trees were planted during a 1939 renovation; by the late 20th century, the Fifth Avenue garden was cited as containing roses, violets, lantana, blue Egyptian lily, and white petunias. The garden was rarely open to the public until the late 2000s.
There is another garden on 70th Street, which was completed when the Frick Collection renovated the house in 1977. The garden, the only one designed by Russell Page in New York City, spans about 60 by 80 feet (18 by 24 m). A temporary garden had been proposed on that site in 1973 in advance of the development of a six-story annex, but the garden became permanent after the annex was canceled. Although there are gravel paths, the garden was intended to be viewed rather than strolled through. The garden contains plantings such as boxwood, water lilies, quince, wisteria, and pear trees, as well as a central pool. The pool and trees were arranged to make the garden look larger than it actually was. There is an iron fence on the south edge of the garden, as well as a one-story parapet wall on the north and west edges. The eastern wall has three nautically themed lunettes, which face three large windows on the eastern wall of the house's annex.
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Henry Clay Frick House
The Henry Clay Frick House (also known as the Frick Collection building or 1 East 70th Street) is a mansion and museum building on Fifth Avenue, between 70th and 71st streets, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed by Thomas Hastings as the residence of the industrialist Henry Clay Frick, the house contains the Frick Collection museum and the Frick Art Reference Library. The house and library building are designated as a New York City landmark and National Historic Landmark.
The house has three stories and is separated from Fifth Avenue by an elevated garden. It has three wings to the north, center, and south, arranged in an L shape. The limestone facade contains several carved pediments and tympana. Most of the house remained essentially unchanged from the time of its construction until 1931. The first floor contained the family's communal rooms; the second floor contained their bedrooms and private rooms; and the third floor contained the servants' quarters. There was also a basement with service areas. The first and second-floor rooms have been adapted into museum spaces over the years.
Frick bought the site of the Lenox Library in 1906 and 1907 but could not redevelop it for several years. Initially, Frick sought designs from Daniel Burnham, but ultimately he commissioned Hastings, who designed a three-story mansion in the Beaux-Arts style. Construction took place between 1912 and 1914. Frick lived in the building only until his death in 1919, but his wife Adelaide and daughter Helen continued to live there until Adelaide died in 1931. Following a renovation, and in accordance with Frick's will, the house opened to the public as the Frick Collection in 1935. The building was enlarged slightly in 1977 and 2011, which has altered the original appearance of the house. From 2020 to 2025, the house was closed for an extensive renovation that expanded the museum. Over the years, the mansion has received generally positive architectural commentary.
The Henry Clay Frick House is at 1 East 70th Street in the Lenox Hill section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Fifth Avenue and Central Park to the west, 70th Street to the south, and 71st Street to the north. The rectangular land lot occupies about half of its city block and covers 45,175 square feet (4,197 m2), with a frontage of around 200 feet (61 m) on Fifth Avenue and 275 feet (84 m) on the side streets. The mansion originally occupied a smaller, 200-by-175-foot (61 by 53 m) site, which covered about a third of the block. The rest of the city block is composed of townhouses, including 11, 15, 17, 19, and 21 East 70th Street to the east. 880 Fifth Avenue is on the block to the south, while the Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House is one block to the northwest. The mansion is part of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile and houses the Frick Collection, the southernmost museum on that strip.
The site had been part of the Lenox family's farm until the late 19th century. The site of the Frick House then became the Lenox Library, designed in a neo-Grec style by Richard Morris Hunt. The library had contained paintings and books owned by the philanthropist James Lenox. Frick's house occupies a 200-by-175-foot (61 by 53 m) site that includes both the library and an adjacent strip. The eastern half of the block was sold to other developers, who had erected residences there by 1910. The entire block was restricted to residential use until 1929, although the Frick House was excluded from this restriction in 1926. After the mansion became a museum, its site was expanded to include the land occupied by the Widener House at 5 East 70th Street (built in 1909 by Warren and Wetmore); 7 East 70th Street (built in 1911 by C. P. H. Gilbert); and a third house at 9 East 70th Street (built in 1915).
When Frick built the house in the early 1910s, he planted 13 chestnut trees on the sidewalk of Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st streets, each of which were at least 30 years old. To accommodate the trees, he excavated the sidewalk to a depth of 6 feet (1.8 m), then obtained soil from Long Island, in which the trees were planted. The trees were planted on the property for only a year and a half before all dying, because the soil was contaminated with poisonous illuminating gas. Afterward, they were replaced with sycamores. A single poplar tree, which had existed on the block before even the Lenox Library was built, remained on Frick's estate until 1918.
Most of the house, except for the gallery wing at the north end, is recessed 75 feet (23 m) behind a garden on Fifth Avenue. This contrasted with similarly large mansions built in Manhattan during the early 20th century, which were generally built as close as possible to the boundaries of their lots, and was unique for a mansion on Fifth Avenue. Original plans called for a sunken garden facing Fifth Avenue, flanked by the house on two sides, with a pool in the center. The William H. Jackson Company designed a wrought iron fence around the Fifth Avenue garden, while John Williams Inc. designed entrance gates in the same style. When the house was completed, there was a stone wall with a balustrade along Fifth Avenue, and the garden itself had evergreen trees. A pebbled path ran through the garden. A small formal garden sat at the south end of the Fifth Avenue garden, at the same level as the house's first floor. Three magnolia trees were planted during a 1939 renovation; by the late 20th century, the Fifth Avenue garden was cited as containing roses, violets, lantana, blue Egyptian lily, and white petunias. The garden was rarely open to the public until the late 2000s.
There is another garden on 70th Street, which was completed when the Frick Collection renovated the house in 1977. The garden, the only one designed by Russell Page in New York City, spans about 60 by 80 feet (18 by 24 m). A temporary garden had been proposed on that site in 1973 in advance of the development of a six-story annex, but the garden became permanent after the annex was canceled. Although there are gravel paths, the garden was intended to be viewed rather than strolled through. The garden contains plantings such as boxwood, water lilies, quince, wisteria, and pear trees, as well as a central pool. The pool and trees were arranged to make the garden look larger than it actually was. There is an iron fence on the south edge of the garden, as well as a one-story parapet wall on the north and west edges. The eastern wall has three nautically themed lunettes, which face three large windows on the eastern wall of the house's annex.