EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT: Upper West Side Townhouse (24 West 71st Street)

This Upper West Side Townhouse was built in 1888-90 (NB- 1500-1888) by two commonly known architects Lamb and Rich and owned by Elizabeth Milibank. Significantly made with granite and iron spot brick, this Terra-Cotta designed townhouse is on the market for $29 million. The 20 foot wide 5 story home sits mid block between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. In 1892 this townhouse was completed and filed in 1888. Later this town-house received a museum-grade restoration that cost $1 million and then became a grand single-family residence. The townhouse style is Romanesque Revival with Renaissance elements with facades of brick and stone. The windows type/ material is one-over-one double hung/wood, and transoms/wood. This method of construction is masonry bearing walls.

ABOUT THE ARCHITECTS: LAMB RICH
   Hugh Lamb & Charles Alonzo Rich were partners in the NYC firm of Lamb & Rich, established after 1880 and operated until 1899. Both architects were born around 1850. Lamb was a Scottish native. Rich was born in Beverly, Mass and attended Dartmouth. Lamb was the business man and Rich was the designer. Lamb died in 1903 and Rich died in 1943.
Some of their works include Mount Morris Bank Building (East 125th Street and Park Avenue) New York, NY (1883)-mostly demolished, Sagamore Hill (20 Sagamore Hill Rd, Oyster Bay (1884-86)), Astral Apartments (184 Franklin Street, New York, NY (1885)), Main Building Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY (1886-87) Germania Fire Insurance Co. Building (62 William Street, New York, NY (1891)) and many others. 
      
    This same townhouse sold in 1996 for a then-record $4.3 million. This home now has six bedrooms, six and a half baths, 10 gas fireplaces, an elevator, a Japanese inspired spa and auxiliary kitchens on the garden level (used as a home office and conference room) and on the top floor, a self contained suite mostly used by the owners' parents. the third floor is designated master level, with a front library and den, a bold black marble powder room and rear bedroom with dual baths, one with a sunken tub and two exposures, the other with a shower and a wall of closets.

The current owners, Arrien and Robin Schiltkamp, were enthralled by the distinctive exterior, with its wrought iron ornamentation, terra-cotta scallop shells in the arches of the fifth floor windows, and twin cherubs hoisting the pillars that frame the cornice. 

As said by Dexter Guerrieri, the president of Vandenberg, the Townhouse Experts, "in 25 years of selling townhouses, i can say with confidence that there is not a finer parlor floor. The museum quality details and opulence of this townhouse are unsurpassed.  

~ My name is Shannon Brown and I'm an intern at Landmark West! I will be entering my senior year of high school in September 2015. My experience here has been a great one so far.  Hope to share more research before the summer is out.

HIGHLIGHT! George and Edward Blum

Source: Office of Metropolitan History 

    by Shannon Brown
  
      George and Edward Blum aka the Blum Brothers studied at the Ecole des Beaux- Arts during the 20^th century. After their studies, they created the Admaston (251 west 89th street) and few other buildings with this architectural feature such as the Evanston (610 West End Avenue, the Phaeton (539 West 112th Street) and many others. 

       George Blum was the more the laid back and opinionated brother who had similar ideas as his brother but different intentions as to how the buildings would be or appear to look in others eyes. Also Blum graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1894 and in that same year he took the bar exam and a partnership in a firm with John B. Fleming called "the firm of Fleming and Blum".

   

    Edward Blum was the more creative brother out the both of them. He came up with the most design ideas. Blum attended Columbia University from which he received his degree in architecture. He later formed a firm with his brother George and built some of the most well-known and geometrically designed buildings. 

   

499 Seventh Avenue

Terra Cotta design panels

    As an individual each brother had the same intentions to come together to create the same design idea in buildings. In result to that they both collaborated and eventually had their owned firm called “the firm of George & Edward Blum”, which received more than 170 commissions in Manhattan alone between 1909 & 1930. Their most common façade details are designs made of Terra-Cotta, brick; usually geometrical shapes for the buildings front entrances and street façade. The brothers mainly gravitated towards Renaissance themed facades but depended on masonry and metalwork.


~ My name is Shannon Brown and I'm an intern at Landmark West! I will be entering my senior year of high school in September 2015. My experience here has been a great one so far but hope to share more research before the summer is out.