2003
Behind the covering
An earlier Gramercy Park Review article by the Gramercy Park Block Association’s Historic Preservation Committee Chair Jack Taylor described restoration at the mansion and its Irving Place annex. The work addressed structural problems. The owner sought Arlene Harrison’s help with the approval process, and she referred the project to the committee.
Taylor traced the house’s origins to 1845, its mansard-roof alterations to 1866 and the present Irving Place annex to 1909. The article described exterior-restoration approvals and anticipated completion in late March 2004.
2014
The scaffolding prompted another question
When scaffolding went up at 19–20 Gramercy Park South, near Irving Place, neighbors asked what was happening. The Block Association’s April 2014 letter answered with the building’s restoration plans and an explanation of the Block Association’s role.
The announced work included repointing, refinishing the brownstone and repainting windows, dormers, cornices, iron railings and exterior doors. It was expected to take about six months.
The restoration was the building’s project. The Block Association helped keep residents informed and raised the practical questions that accompany work in an occupied neighborhood: safety, noise, traffic, dust and sanitation.
The letter also described the Block Association as a resource for finding appropriate streetscape materials and craftspeople. Preserving architectural character and limiting disruption were treated as related responsibilities.
For a later construction project, follow the Block Association’s work at 38 Gramercy Park.
The house behind the restoration
To understand what all that care preserves, step into the story of 19 Gramercy Park South: Mamie Fish’s wit, Stanford White’s alterations and the Sonnenbergs’ art-filled home.
Sources
Two separate restoration accounts: an article indexed under Autumn 2003 and the Block Association’s April 28, 2014 newsletter.