The Windermere and Dickey House designated. Despite strong opposition by current owners, on June 28, 2005, Landmarks designated the Windermere Apartments in Manhattan’s Clinton section, and the Robert Dickey House in Lower Manhattan.
The Windermere, constructed in 1881, is a visually compelling three-building complex located at 400-406 West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue. Its design, attributed to Theophilus G. Smith, features distinctive cornices and polychromatic brickwork. At the public hearings, the owner strongly opposed the designation, arguing the Windermere was not one grand apartment building worthy of designation, but, in fact, was three separate uninhabitable tenements. 2 CityLand 61 (May 15, 2005). In approving, Landmarks noted that the building was the oldest-known apartment complex in the area and that it played a significant role in the history of women’s housing when, in the 1890s, it was the home of young women entering the work force.
The Dickey House, located at 67 Greenwich Street and Trinity Place, was constructed in 1811 and is the only surviving Federal-period, bowed facade townhouse in Manhattan. As constructed, the wide, three-and-ahalf- story house featured Flemish bond brickwork, splayed stone lintels, and an elliptical bow on some of the bays of the rear facade. At the public hearings, the owners opposed the designation and provided expert testimony about the high cost of rehabilitating the house. 2 CityLand 60 (May 15, 2005). In approving, Landmarks noted that the house was a “rare gem” as one of the few surviving houses of the Federal period located south of Chambers Street.
LPC: Windermere Apartments, 400-406 West 57th Street (LP-2171) (June 28, 2005); LPC: Robert and Anne Dickey House, 67 Greenwich Street (LP-2166) (June 28, 2005).