Harry F. Sinclair House
Encyclopedia
The Harry F. Sinclair House is a mansion at 2 East 79th Street at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan
, New York City
that houses the Ukrainian Institute of America, which promotes art and literature by hosting exhibitions open to public, among other means.
, which sold the house to create the Fletcher Fund for purchases of prints and drawings. The purchaser in 1918 was the self-made oil millionaire Harry F. Sinclair
, who lived in the house until 1930. Sinclair is best known for founding Sinclair Oil
in 1916 and was made notorious by his involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal in 1922. After Sinclair sold it in 1930 it became known as the Augustus and Anne van Horne Stuyvesant House; the unmarried brother and sister, descendents of Peter Stuyvesant
, had moved from their house at 3 East 57th Street, when that stretch of Fifth Avenue had become unalterably commercial. Since 1955 it has been owned by the Ukrainian Institute of America.
In 1996 architectural historian Christopher Gray quoted an anonymous critic writing for the Real Estate Record & Guide in 1899, who in praising the design noted that much of the ornament was ecclesiastical in origin rather than domestic. The writer closed with the observation that the Fletcher mansion had "too much the air of an archeological reproduction to be accepted as an appropriate New York City house of 1898."
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1978, and remained "refreshingly unrestored", according to Christopher Gray, until 1997, when modest renovations were undertaken.
, as well as many other films and advertisements
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that houses the Ukrainian Institute of America, which promotes art and literature by hosting exhibitions open to public, among other means.
History
It was designed by Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert (C. P. H. Gilbert) for the New York banker and stockbroker Isaac D. Fletcher in 1897 and completed in 1898. When Fletcher died in 1917, he left the house and his art collection to the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, which sold the house to create the Fletcher Fund for purchases of prints and drawings. The purchaser in 1918 was the self-made oil millionaire Harry F. Sinclair
Harry F. Sinclair
Harry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
, who lived in the house until 1930. Sinclair is best known for founding Sinclair Oil
Sinclair Oil
Sinclair Oil Corporation is an American petroleum corporation, founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916 as the Sinclair Oil & Refining Corporation by combining the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corporation, Sinclair Oil reincorporated in Wyoming in 1976...
in 1916 and was made notorious by his involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal in 1922. After Sinclair sold it in 1930 it became known as the Augustus and Anne van Horne Stuyvesant House; the unmarried brother and sister, descendents of Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
, had moved from their house at 3 East 57th Street, when that stretch of Fifth Avenue had become unalterably commercial. Since 1955 it has been owned by the Ukrainian Institute of America.
In 1996 architectural historian Christopher Gray quoted an anonymous critic writing for the Real Estate Record & Guide in 1899, who in praising the design noted that much of the ornament was ecclesiastical in origin rather than domestic. The writer closed with the observation that the Fletcher mansion had "too much the air of an archeological reproduction to be accepted as an appropriate New York City house of 1898."
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1978, and remained "refreshingly unrestored", according to Christopher Gray, until 1997, when modest renovations were undertaken.
In popular culture
The house was used as a location in the film Cruel IntentionsCruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
, as well as many other films and advertisements
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th StreetsNational Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th StreetsThis is a list of properties and districts in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets...