10 Lost MANSIONS of RIVERSIDE DRIVE – HT

 

 

 

okay so everyone talks about the popular Fifth Avenue as the only Millionaire’s Row in Manhattan everyone talks of its glitzy past and its lost Mansions but it seems we forgot about one other Avenue welcome to schmann C the place where we talk all things Rich exclusive and fancy schmancy Once Upon a Time in Old New York gilded palaces adorned all of Riverside Drive as it was one of the city’s most coveted addresses it was a Boulevard of freestanding Mansions sprawling Estates and glittering castles each with their own

legacy each with their own style unlike the millionaires on the cramp Fifth Avenue the West Side Riverside Drive had plenty of room for spreading out and spread out they did all the way up to the tip of the island today we are taking you through some of the most jaw-dropping most eye-popping properties that once stood on this formerly Suburban side of town and though we will only have scratched the surface you will be left speechless at what we found so without further Ado here are our top 10 lost Mansions of Riverside Drive

number one the Charles M Schwab house at the height of New York’s Gilded Age this fairy tale Castle took up an entire city block between 73rd and 74th streets it is probably the most famous of the Lost Mansions simply because by now everyone and their mother has done an article or video on it the opulent mansion that was at the time known as Riverside was completed in 1906 for steel tycoon Charles M Schwab and his wife Rana not to be mistaken for the Finn and Sir Charles R Schwab as they are not even closely related

formerly president of both Carnegie and U.S steel Charles M Schwab later became the founder of Bethlehem Steel with the exception of Carnegie and Frick’s mansions on Fifth Avenue his roomy French Chateau perfectly outshined all the other Fifth Avenue Mansions of his day it had 75 rooms all adorned in Period furnishings and expensive artwork six elevators a bowling alley a massive pool a gym a grand pipe organ Lush Gardens and a tower with panoramic views of the river after losing his entire Fortune during the Great Depression

Riverside went from a luxurious estate to a massive burden overnight unable to pay the taxes and unable to sell Schwab was forced to abandon his beloved Palace in 1939. he moved into a small apartment on Park Avenue where he died penniless shortly thereafter by 1947 the Mansion was slated for the wrecking ball and by 1950 it was all replaced by this large red brick apartment complex called the Schwab house number two the Cyrus Clark mansion next up is this beautiful French Renaissance and Romanesque mansion that

sat on a property taking up of the width of the block between 89th and 90th streets the Mansion was constructed in 1890 for Community leader Cyrus Clark and his wife Julia it featured a beautifully tiled roof balanced by two towers mini Dormers multiple porches and balconies giving spectacular views of the river known as one of the prettiest homes on the Strip the Clarks were sure to host their children’s wedding receptions on the premises as one of the biggest advocates for the Upper West Side Cyrus Clark is known as

the father of the Upper West Side by 1897 after winning multiple campaigns for his beloved Riverside Neighborhood Cyrus Clark sold off the southern half of his plot to a wealthy Widow by the name of Elizabeth Clark she would soon build her own mansion on this plot shortly thereafter he sold the actual Mansion to another wealthy Widow named Mary Swain Parsons the home would eventually end up in the hands of developers but more on that to come number three the Elizabeth Clark house sharing the block with the Cyrus Clark

Mansion was this elegant Georgian Mansion which served as the residence of Elizabeth Clark she was a wealthy Widow with ties to Singer sewing machine riches and a vast real estate portfolio including the Dakota on 72nd Street in 1897 as one of the wealthiest widows in the country Mrs Clark was the one who happily bought up the southern half of Cyrus Clark’s property so that she could build herself a spectacular mansion her Mansion featured a conservatory a bowling alley which could easily be spotted from the

exterior and a flared Marquee at the main entrance shortly afterwards Mrs Clark would remarry to a wealthy and prominent New York bishop and the couple lived there until her death in 1909. her son Frederick inherited the Mansion after her death and in 1912 he sold it to Mr William Barnard who presided over the international Salt Company for an estimated 850 thousand dollars Barnard would eventually also purchase the beautiful Cyrus Clark property next door and by 1922 he sold both properties to Developers for a whopping 1.25 million

dollars the developers wasted no time tearing down the two mansions and by 1925 they were replaced with this most breathtaking apartment building which still stands today number four the John H Matthews House now across the street from Cyrus Clark’s house at the opposite corner of 90th Street was this stunning shingle-style Mansion it was completed in 1891 for the family of John H Matthews heir to America’s most successful soda fountain Fortune Matthews had also purchased his plot from Cyrus plot who was a pioneer

of the Upper West Side and owned a lot of the surrounding land the Mansion featured a corner turret a wrap-around porch similar to those of the Victorian homes of its day and it sported one of the prettiest cast iron fences in the form of swelling Vines the Matthews family would eventually sell the home in 1905.

 it would change hands several times until 1921 the year it finally succumbed to well-meaning Developers the same developers who had it demolished and replaced with this fabulous apartment building number five the dolger Mansion let’s now skip a few blocks and travel up to 100th Street where we’ll find this enormous Brick and Stone Mansion it was completed in 1889 for Peter dolger and his family dolger was a German immigrant who had made his fortune in the Brewing industry in fact he was the first to bring Lager beer to New York City and due to

Riverside Drive sweeping views of the Hudson and its newly minted reputation as a posh neighborhood he chose the northeast corner of 100th Street as the perfect spot to build his new home his four-story Mansion had multiple balconies Dormers and was surrounded by beautiful gardens on three sides dolge’s family would remain in the home until the death of his Widow in 1925.

shortly after it was well received by developers who raised it to make room for this colossal 15-story apartment building which still stands today number six the Samuel G Bain mansions these two stately homes were both constructed for the family of irish-born Samuel G Baines as the son of a prosperous textile Merchant he could have remained in Ireland and lived a very comfortable life however Baines chose to emigrate to America to accumulate a larger fortune and he did it through California gold Texas oil Banking and real estate

his showstopper of a home could be found at the Southeastern corner of 108th and Riverside completed in 1891 it was the perfect compliment to his first home on the northeastern Corner which he quickly outgrew and sold for profit to ensure he had the proper neighbors Bane purchased the vacant lot surrounding his Villa he then sold them off to buyers who would abide by his strict rules to build only high-class residences his pride and joy Romanesque Mansion was a combination of brick and stone with a complex red tiled

roof it consisted of a four-story corner Pavilion a multitude of balconies several bay windows and a grand arched entrance for a well-balanced but uniquely asymmetrical look Bane finally gave in to the developers in 1921 provide that he occupied the penthouse of the new 14-story apartment building that took its place sadly he passed in 1924 and never got a chance to move in the apartment building still stands today number seven the Carrigan mansion this one-of-a-kind Greek Revival Masterpiece was built in 1836 for

irish-born banker and philanthropist Andrew Carrigan located at the northeast corner of Riverside and 114th Street it was his Grand Country estate as Upper Manhattan at the time was mostly farmland and a pastoral Escape for wealthy New Yorkers the Mansion featured a refined semicircular Portico tall stately windows and being well set back from the street it had an extensive front lawn unlike most of the Riverside mansions with shelf lights of less than 40 years the Carrigan Mansion managed to stand for a record 76 years before being torn

down its final owner Althea Ward Rudd sold to developers in 1910 and by 1912 we had in its place this amazing apartment building called The Hamilton number eight the Paterno Castle we’ve now arrived at Riverside and 185th in Washington Heights and right past the George Washington Bridge on a bluff is what used to be a majestic seven acre feudal estate that once belonged to a native Italian doctor and real estate Tycoon Charles Vincent Paterno as a proud member of the Paterno family of Builders he was responsible for the

construction and development of numerous apartment buildings in Upper Manhattan built between 1905 and 1916 his castle featured a white marble facade turrets a Subterranean driveway a seller for growing mushrooms a ballroom with balconies overlooking the Hudson a grand pipe organ a roof Garden a colonnaded Pergola formal Italian Gardens and so much more by the 1930s Redevelopment had made its way up into Washington Heights and the fancy mansions had to go ever the real estate developer that he was Dr Paterno had no qualms about raising his

own home for colossal profits and so he built a complex of five glorious apartment Towers in its place and headed for the more pastoral Landscapes of Greenwich Connecticut the complex known as Castle Village still stands today and the only remnants of the old castle are the outbuildings the two-story Cottages which are now private townhouses and the 75-foot retaining wall number nine Libby Castle continuing on up to 196th Street we’ll stop at one of the highest points in Manhattan we’re now at Fort Tryon Park a

narrow Ridge overlooking the Hudson a famous battle site during the Revolutionary War and the most remarkable public park brought to you by John D Rockefeller Jr and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr however before it was a park it was the location of several distinguished Estates including the old Libby Castle the first of the Castles in the Sky to arrive in Washington Heights Libby Castle was completed Back In 1855 for wealthy importer August C Richards with its medieval turrets massive stone walls and Acres upon Acres of

picturesque views it’s no wonder that for decades it stood as the most prominent structure on the Northern Manhattan skyline after Richards came a string of Unforgettable owners they include a Union Army General named Daniel Butterfield a notorious criminal by the name of Boss Tweed the department store Titan A.

T Stewart his business partner William Libby former New York mayor Hugh J Grant and its final owner John D Rockefeller Jr in the years after acquiring the estate Rockefeller opened the castle to an all-boys choir for practice but sadly Libby Castle’s unique history failed to keep it from being demolished in 1939 to make way for the new Fort try and pop number 10 Tryon Hall Cornelius kg Billings was a retired businessman from Chicago who moved his family to New York to devote time to the equestrian lifestyle in 1903 he quickly fell in love with Fort Tryon and all of

Northern Manhattan thereby purchasing 25 acres from the owners of the Libya state to build his horse stables and an elaborate Louis XIV mansion Hall otherwise known as the ckg Billings estate was another one of those Estates perched high up on Fort Tryon right next door to the Libby Castle completed in 1907 it consisted of a casino a two-story squash court a bowling alley a heated indoor swimming pool an interior Courtyard formal Gardens and a zigzagging driveway that gave direct access to Riverside Drive which was 250

feet below the driveway which cut into the Bedrock came with a Roman style retaining wall and a very distinct arched Viaduct as a man of many options Billings eventually became bored with trying Hall by 1917 when John D Rockefeller Jr came knocking with an offer for the property he had no compunctions about it becoming a public park rockefeller’s intention was to turn the Mansion into a museum in the park sadly by 1931 when Rockefeller started working on Fort Tryon Park the Billings Mansion had burned to the groundius

prior leaving only the old Gatehouse near the park entrance and its famous driveway as remnants of its forgotten past and for sticking with this till the very end we’ll throw in a bonus this showstopper was not exactly on Riverside Drive but at the uppermost tip of Manhattan in a neighborhood New Yorkers today call inward perched on top of a hill at what is now Broadway in 216th is our final Castle in the Sky the Seaman Drake estate it was an all-marble italianate Villa constructed In 1855 for wealthy Merchant John Ferris Seaman and

his brother James the Seaman family was of Old Stock New York aristocracy with their father Dr Valentine Seaman being credited for introducing the smallpox vaccine to America in the early 1800s overlooking both the Harlem and Hudson Rivers the 25-acre summer estate came with all the fixings there were Terrace Gardens all with marble staircasing a conservatory a roofline cap with ornate cupulas and even an in-house Chapel in addition the 30-room Mansion came with multiple outbuildings which included a Gatehouse

at the bottom of the hill the Gatehouse was a massive Marble Arch modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris this prominent Arch served as the Gateway into the Steep driveway that led up to the home and was large enough to accommodate housing for its gateman by the late 1800s the Siemens nephew Lawrence Drake had inherited the estate he would sell it to the Suburban riding and driving Club who made it into their headquarters and for a time it was the private playground of New York’s Elite by 1906 the estate was owned by Thomas

Dwyer a prominent Builder who constructed a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art among other New York landmarks Dwyer eventually sold the property to developers in 1938 the same developers who raised it to make way for the new 400 unit housing complex called Park Terrace Gardens the arch however still stands today and can be seen lurking behind an auto body shop on Broadway and 216th Street thank you and that’s it for the top 10 lost Mansions of Riverside Drive so which of these Mansions did you like the most are there any you think should

have been preserved anyway if there’s anything else you would like to mention about this topic feel free to share it with us in the comments below furthermore if you got any value out of this video be sure to like subscribe and click on the Bell icon so you never miss out on another video with that said we’d like to thank you for watching and we’ll see each other next time thank you