View of 381 West End Avenue from south west; Courtesy of NYC Municipal Archives.
381 West End Avenue
by Tom Miller
Fresh out of Princeton University, Frederick B. White was just 23 years old in 1885 and yet his designs for suburban residences were already drawing notice. That year real estate developer Henry H. Hewitt purchased the western blockfront of West End Avenue from 78th to 79th Street and hired White to design a row of townhouses on the property. Tragically, White would never see his completed project. In November, he contracted pneumonia. It developed to “acute pulmonary disease,” according to the New-York Tribune, and the prodigious young architect died on May 25, 1886.
Completed that year, White’s picturesque collection of brick-faced houses flowed together as a cohesive group, some sharing yawning arches over their porches, others rising to stepped gables or fanciful dormers.
Although the entrance of the large residence at the northwest corner of 78th Street sat atop a doglegged stoop on the side street, the house took the more impressive address of 381 West End Avenue. Despite its size (its footprint measured 29 by 50 feet), White gave it a cottage feel, its third story disguised as a high mansard. The chamfered corner, which thrust turret-like into the third floor, was crowned with an angled, conical cap. Terra cotta decorations on the 78th Street side smacked of Tudor influences.
The 12-room house saw a succession of occupants until Dr. James Hawley Burtenshaw purchased it in 1899. Born in Ontonagon, Michigan in 1861, Burtenshaw was an Adjunct Professor of Gynecology at the New York Polyclinic Medical School and Hospital. He routinely submitted technical articles to journals like The Medical Brief and wrote medical textbooks. Somewhat surprisingly, he owned an automobile as early as 1899, the year he moved in.
An article in The Hot Springs Medical Journal on March 15, 1901 reported that the New York State Medical Association had begun “issuing the proceedings and papers of the Society in the form of a monthly journal, ‘The New York State Journal of Medicine.” Dr. Burtenshaw had been appointed its chairman. The article noted, “The journal is published at 381 West End Avenue, New York.”
On September 7, The New York Press reported that while Mrs. Finke went on an errand, Astley “went off with two gold watches valued at $150.”
Burtenshaw sold 381 West End Avenue in 1905 to James Finke and his wife. Mrs. Finke immediately addressed a problem in the basement—rats. She hired Frank Astley, an Englishman who advertised himself as “The Ferret” and compared himself to the Pied Piper of Hamelin. What Mrs. Finke was unaware of is that only ten days earlier, Astley had obtained a job with a ratcatcher and after three days’ experience, established his own business. On September 7, The New York Press reported that while Mrs. Finke went on an errand, Astley “went off with two gold watches valued at $150.”
The Finkes rented rooms in the mansion. Among those living here in 1907 was Mrs. Sarah Hanks Peckham, a widow who annually appeared in Dau’s Blue Book of New York Society. In 1908, L. M. Wright lived here when he and two partners incorporated the Hanks Gasoline Meter Company; and the same year Dr. Sohn’s Dermatological Sanatorium opened in several rooms here. It provided temporary housing for certain patients. An advertisement read,
For the treatment of all imperfections of the skin. Birthmarks, wrinkles, freckles, scars, etc., positively removed. We have inaugurated all luxuries and conveniences for those desiring to remain with us while under treatment.
Dr. Sohn’s Dermatological Sanatorium was a short-lived venture. The following year an advertisement offered, “For rent—in select private, corner, bachelor quarters, with all conveniences; near 79th St. Subway; large front room, beautifully decorated and furnished; social and congenial surroundings, businessmen, good standing only.”
By 1916, the restriction of men only was dropped, although the “good standing” rule was still in effect. Living here that year were Borge De Mossin and his wife, Hazel R., and her daughter from a previous marriage, Hazeldine Adair Pirie. The girl’s father was Allan Hawkins Pirie, whose father left a $12 million estate, which he had amassed as a partner of the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. department store.
In February that year, Hazel R. De Mossin took her former husband to court, charging him for refusing to provide support for Hazeldine. She told the court that Allan Pirie lived “the life of a country gentleman in Wading River. Long Island.” Pirie, on the other hand, insisted his income was “not more than $200 a month” and that De Mossin “is reputed to be a person of great wealth.” It is unclear which party prevailed in the suit.
In 1918, August Valerie and his wife, Delia Micucci Valeri, leased 381 West End Avenue. The well-known singers were born in Italy and were married in 1901. The couple had two daughters, Adelaide and Rosa. Delia opened the Mme. Delia Valeri Vocal Studio in the house.
Entertainments in the Valeri residence almost always revolved around music. On February 12, 1919, for instance, the New York Herald reported, “Members of the Metropolitan Opera Company and many other guests were present last night at a reception given in honor of Mme. Frieda Hempel by Mme. Delia Valerie [sic] at her home 381 West End Avenue.” In addition to a buffet supper, “a musical programme” by Delia’s students entertained guests.
Four months later, August and Delia Valeri purchased the house. Like many well-heeled New Yorkers, they spent their summer season abroad. The August 17, 1922 edition of Musical Courier noted, “Madame Valeri is now visiting Rome, Vienna, Paris and London. She will re-open her studios at 381 West End Avenue, New York, on September 18th. Applications [should be sent] to her Secretary, Helen Wood, at above address.”
August and Delia Valeri sold 381 West End Avenue in 1925. Before moving, they sold some of the furnishings. An advertisement in The New York Times on May 10 offered, “large, carved out office table, 8 chairs; magnificent dressing set, few beautifully upholstered pieces, bronzes, columns, vases, 2 pianos.”
Delia opened the Mme. Delia Valeri Vocal Studio in the house.
The house was purchased by musicians Jacques, Joseph and Manfred Malkin (known as the Malkin Trio). The December 1926 issue of The Musical Observer reported the opening “of the Malkin Conservatory of Music for the new season, in new and more spacious quarters.” The article said, “In addition to his brothers, Jacques Malkin (violin) and Joseph Malkin (cello), Mr. Manfred Malkin, the director of the Conservatory, has surrounded himself with a brilliant faculty for the new season.”
Only four years later, the Malkin brothers sold 381 West End Avenue to Bertha Sasmor. The house was operated as a rooming house throughout the Depression years. In the early 1950s, it was headquarters for the Infants Welfare League Camps, a program of three-week summer camps for children from 8 to 14 years old who “come from underprivileged or broken homes or have a physical handicap,” according to The New York Times on April 13, 1954.
Within a few years, 381 West End Avenue was again a single-family home. Dr. Julius Schaffer was a dentist who specialized in root canal therapy. Born in Brooklyn in 1914, he graduated from the New York University College of Dentistry in 1939. He was also chief of dental training and research at the Hospital for Joint Diseases. Dr. Schaffer suffered a fatal heart attack in the house on September 13, 1966.
The residence was purchased by Dr. Emanuel Hammer. Hammer held a Ph.D. in psychoanalysis and was on the faculty of the National Psychological Association of Psychoanalysis. He lived here into the 21st century.
The property is still a single-family home. Sadly, a realtor described the house in 2025 as being in “shell condition.”
Tom Miller is a social historian and blogger at https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/
