| Great Architects of New York: Henry J. Hardenbergh | |
| Rockefeller Houses Address 13 & 15 West 54th Street New York, N.Y. 10019 Location West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, north side Neighborhood Midtown Built June 22, 1896, to March 20, 1897 Use Offices AIA Guide "Neo-Renaissance limestone outpomps the modesty of No. 11. Nelson Rockefeller maintained his private offices at No. 13 and died there on January 26, 1979." Landmark Status Designated together as an individual New York City landmark in 1981. Listed along with Nos. 11, 9, 7 and 5 on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. — Here is where the deep horizontal grooves that characterize many of Hardenbergh's later buildings make their first appearance. They come back to haunt us at the Textile Building, the Whitehall Building and Con Ed's Headquarters.
A plaque on the buildings reads: "This pair of town houses was built in 1896-97 for William Murray, a New York businessman. Designed in a Renaissance-inspired style by Henry J. Hardenbergh, the houses are a fine example of the elegant residential architecture that once characterized the West Fifties between Fifth and Sixth Avenues — a neighborhood that developed in style and popularity after the completion of Central Park and during the post-Civil War building boom. Over the course of this century, members of the Rockefeller family occupied and owned five town houses on this street, including this distinguished pair. New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation 1989"
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