The firm of Harde & Short designed intricate apartment building facades for nearly a decade – 1901 to 1909 – then abruptly split up with no exceptional buildings between them.
London-educated Herbert Spencer Steinhardt (later shortened to Harde) designed upper west side tenements until 1900; he met Richard Thomas Short in the offices of James E. Ware & Son. Harde, son of a real estate entrepreneur, owned and developed buildings in addition to designing them. In fact, the team’s first significant building – the 1903 Red House – was owned by a Harde subsidiary.
Red House led to a commission for 45 E 66th Street, which led to 44 W 77th Street, which in turn led to a complete change of pace – Alwyn Court Apartments.
Harde & Short Representative Buildings
- Red House (1903)
- 45 E 66th Street (1908)
- 44 W 77th Street (1909)
- Alwyn Court Apartments (1909)
Harde & Short Suggested Reading
- Wikipedia entry
- The New York Times Streetscapes | The Buildings of Harde & Short | 2 Architects’ Brief Journey Into Design Pyrotechnics (December 4, 2005)
- Off The Grid: Oscars, Opera and Orson Welles at Onyx Court
- Daytonian In Manhattan blog
- Connecting the Windy City blog
- Brownstoner: Building of the Day: 41 Howard Avenue
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report (Red House: see page 3)