257 West 86th Street, AKA 255-259 West 86th Street

257 West 86th Street, AKA 255-259 West 86th Street

Date: 1906-1907

NB Number: NB 488-1906

Type:  Apartment Building

Architect:  Pollard and Steinam

Developer/Owner/Builder: West 86th Street Studios Corp

NYC Landmarks Designation:  Historic District

Landmark Designation Report:Riverside Drive – West End Historic District Extension I

National Register Designation: N/A

Primary Style:  Neo-Classical

Primary Facade:   Buff Roman Brick and Stone

Stories: 14

Window Type/Material: See Structure

Structure:  Significant Architectural Features: Three story stone base; shallow stone stoop; entrance enframement with lion head decorated cornice supported by large scrolled brackets and pilasters with roundels; possibly historic lights at entrance; upper stories Roman brick, rusticated at outer bays; some older, possibly historic, three-over-three, two-over-two, and one-over-one sash; flared brick lintels in center bays; partially recessed window enframements at 14th story separated by brick panels; stone balconies with metal railings; wreathed plaques; cornice with modillions and scrolled brackets; paneled parapet above cornice; Special Windows: Possibly historic stained glass window; Decorative Metal Work: Balcony railings; possibly historic areaway fence; possibly historic grille at first story; historic window guard at the ninth story; metal hook

Building Notes: The commercial space at 255 West 86th Street may not have originally been part of the building’s design, the address appears in directories by 1940; stoop at storefront is supported by jack posts.

Site Features: Basement areaways; possibly historic metal fence with stone posts with non-historic doorbell or intercom at gate; non-historic fence and gate at storefront; pipes for siamese hydrant and fuel; diamond plate staircase with pipe railing

Notable History and Residents: Built as a studio building 257 West 86th attracted tenants from many professions: Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) sculptor of Mount Rushmore; Charles Otis (1872?-1944), President of Dow, Jones & Co., and publisher of The Bond Buyer and American Banker; Rudolph Dirks (1877-1968) creator of the comic strip the “Katzenjammer Kids;” Franklin De Haven (1856-1934), American landscape artist and president of the Salamagundi Club; Dr. James T. Shotwell (1871-1965) historian and Columbia professor, and later a member and president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Robert Duvall, the actor. Raoul Gelabert, a former dancer and pioneer in kinesiotherapy for dancers, had moved his dance studio to 257 West 86th Street by 1965. Since 1989 he has also run the Gelabert Studios Galley, an art gallery, in the building.

South Facade: Designed (historic) Stoop: Historic Door(s): Possibly historic primary door; non-historic door at storefront; metal door at basement Windows: Mixed (upper stories); mixed (basement) Security Grilles: Possibly historic (basement) Storefront(s): Altered Cornice: Mixed Sidewalk Material(s): Concrete Curb Material(s): Concrete with metal nosing Areaway Wall/Fence Materials: Possibly historic metal fence with stone posts Areaway Paving Material: Concrete

West Facade: Not designed (historic) (partially visible) Facade Notes: Red and buff brick, some repointed and/or replaced, rear extension painted; terra cotta and metal coping; irregular fenestration; windows mixed; chimney; water tank

North Facade: Not designed (historic) (partially visible) Facade Notes: Painted; windows reconfigured; through-wall air conditioners; ell: red brick, fire escape, rooftop garden

Historic District: Riverside Drive-West End HD Extension I

Alterations: Windows replaced or reconfigured (except as noted), some in basement replaced with metal shutters; storefront stoop painted; storefront door; awning; marquee; signage; conduits; remote utility meter; intercoms

References: Lisa Anderson, “James T. Shotwell: A Life Devoted to Organizing Peace,” Living Legacies, Winter 2005 (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Winter2005/llshotwell.html accessed January 17, 2012); Cheryl Casati, “Gelabert Studios, More Than Meets the Eye,” Epoch Times, January 8, 2009 (http://www.threepochtimes.com/n2/life/gelabert-studios-more-than-meets-the-eye-9992-print.ht ml accessed February 2, 2012); “Charles Otis Dies; Long a Publisher,” NYT, October 1, 1944, 45; “Franklin De Haven Dead at Age 77,” NYT, January 11, 1934, 21; “Gelabert Studios Gallery” (http://gelabertstudiogallery.com/About_Us.html, accessed February 2, 2012); “Gutzon Borglum,” Wikipedia, (accessed January 4, 2012); “James T. Shotwell, Historian, 90, Dies,” NYT, July 17, 1965, 1; “Rudolph Dirks, Artis, Is Dead; Created Katzenjammer Kids,” NYT, April 22, 1968, 47; Peter Salwen, Upper West Side Story: A History and Guide (New York: Abbeville Press, 1989), 304; U. S. Census records, 1910 and 1930.