Tag Archives: C.P.H. Gilbert

Ukrainian Institute (Harry F. Sinclair House)

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The Ukrainian Institute (aka Harry F. Sinclair House, originally Isaac D. and Mary Fletcher House) is among the last of the Fifth Avenue mansions. It was designed by prominent architect C.P.H. Gilbert and has had a succession of famous owners. The carved stone ornaments are a menagerie of dragons, reptiles, and urchins – that have absolutely nothing to do with Ukrainian culture.

The house is open to the public, so you can tour the inside – just check the Ukrainian Institute’s website for details. Or, enjoy a virtual tour courtesy of Scouting New York.

Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert (no relation to Cass Gilbert) is well known for his opulent townhouses and mansions. Several other C.P.H. Gilbert mansions are nearby. See the architect’s Wikipedia reference for more details.

Ukrainian Institute Vital Statistics
  • Location: 2 E 79th Street at Fifth Avenue
  • Year completed: 1899
  • Architect: C.P.H. Gilbert
  • Floors: 7
  • Style: French Gothic
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1978
Ukrainian Institute Recommended Reading

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C.P.H. Gilbert

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230px-C_P_H_Gilbert C.P.H. Gilbert (1861-1952), is best known for his lavish mansion and townhouse architecture for New York’s wealthiest citizens. Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert, a native New Yorker, studied engineering and architecture in the U.S. and abroad, including at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Gilbert initially designed buildings in Colorado and Arizona, but returned to New York in 1885.

(portrait photo source: Wikipedia)

C.P.H. Gilbert designed more than 100 mansions in Brooklyn and Manhattan, several of which are designated New York City landmarks. A few of his Fifth Avenue mansions have been converted to institutional use – notably the Ukrainian Institute (former Harry F. Sinclair House) and the Jewish Museum (former Felix M. Warburg House).

Don’t confuse C.P.H. Gilbert with Cass Gilbert. Cass Gilbert is best known for monumental commercial and civic architecture. Trivia: Cass and C.P.H. do have a connection, via Frank W. Woolworth: Woolworth hired Cass to design the Woolworth Building, but hired C.P.H. to design his personal mansion.

C.P.H. Gilbert Representative Buildings
  • Three adjoining mansions at the foot of Riverside Drive: 311 West 72nd Street, 1 Riverside Drive and 3 Riverside Drive for Philip Kleeberg (mid-1890s)
  • Ukrainian Institute (former Harry F. Sinclair House) (1899)
  • Cushman Building, Broadway and Maiden Lane (1899)
  • Edmund C. Converse residence, 3 East 78th Street (1900)
  • Polish Consulate General, Madison Avenue and 37th Street (former Joseph Raphael De Lamar House) (1905)
  • Jewish Museum, 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue (former Felix M. Warburg House) (1908)
  • Convent of the Sacred Heart, 91st Street and Fifth Avenue, with architect J. Armstrong Stenhouse (former Otto H. Kahn House) (1918)
C.P.H. Gilbert Suggested Reading

De Lamar Mansion

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The De Lamar Mansion (Joseph Raphael De Lamar House), now the Polish Consulate General in New York, is a prime example of Beaux Arts architecture in New York.

C.P.H. Gilbert designed this for Joseph De Lamar, who struck it rich in the Colorado Gold Rush and wanted a home fit to enter New York’s high society. Besides towering over neighboring mansions (such as J.P. Morgan’s home across the street), the De Lamar mansion had the unheard-of luxury of an underground garage, served by electric hoist. [See Daytonian in Manhattan]

Joseph and his 10-year-old daughter Alice – he was divorced – lived in the palatial home with nine servants.

After Joseph died in 1918, Alice moved out and sold the mansion to the American Bible Society, which later sold it to the National Democratic Club. Much later (1973), the Republic of Poland bought the mansion to house its consulate.

De Lamar Mansion Vital Statistics
  • Location: 233 Madison Avenue at E 37th Street
  • Year completed: 1905
  • Architect: C.P.H. Gilbert
  • Floors: 5
  • Style: Beaux Arts
  • New York City Landmark: 1975
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1983
De Lamar Mansion Recommended Reading

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