Upper East Side in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Metropolitan Museum Historic District

New York City Landmark Preservation Foundation

Photographed By Larry Gertner, April 25, 2019

1. Metropolitan Museum Historic District Marker

Inscription. The development of this district as an elegant residential area was related to Fifth Avenue’s long boundary with Central Park. The Metropolitan Museum, set in the park, has provided a dignified urban focus for the district for more than a century. Brownstones from the 1880s retain a flavor of old New York, while private mansions in Italian Renaissance Revival, French Renaissance Revival, and French Classical styles were built between the turn of the century and World War I for such families as the Whitneys, Brokaws, and Vanderbilts. The grand apartment houses, built after the 1923 repeal of a law limiting Fifth Avenue buildings to a height of seventy-five feet, are as distinguished as the mansions they replaced.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.

Location. 40° 46.695′ N, 73° 57.763′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in the Upper East Side. Marker is at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 81st Street, on the left when traveling south on Fifth Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New York NY 10028, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harry F. Sinclair House (about 600 feet away); Le Petit Prince

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(about 700 feet away); Pale Male (about 700 feet away); Cultural Services of The French Embassy (about 800 feet away); Institute of Fine Arts (about 800 feet away); Cedar Hill and Glade Arch (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cleopatra’s Needle (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.

Regarding Metropolitan Museum Historic District. All entries are listed in the "AIA (American Institute of Architects) Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition".
Oddly, the Metropolitan Museum of Art itself is not included within the Historic District.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, April 25, 2019

2. Metropolitan Museum Historic District Marker

Photographed By Larry Gertner, April 25, 2019

3. Metropolitan Museum Historic District Marker

and Historic District streetsigns

One end of the district - "private mansions" image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, 2015

4. One end of the district - "private mansions"

NYU Institute of Fine Arts/originally James B. and Nanaline Duke House, 1 East 78th Street

The other end of the district - "private mansions" image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, 2015

5. The other end of the district - "private mansions"

Neue Gallery New York, Museum for German and Austrian Art/onetime Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt House, 1048 Fifth Avenue

In between - "grand apartment houses" image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, March 17, 2015

6. In between - "grand apartment houses"

998 Fifth Avenue

Photographed By Larry Gertner, March 17, 2015

7. In between - "grand apartment houses"

1001 Fifth Avenue

Photographed By Larry Gertner, March 17, 2015

8. Metropolitan Museum Historic District Marker

Original style, with all capital letters.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 180 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 31, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 7, 8. submitted on June 1, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.