233 Madison Ave., New York, New York. County/parish: New York.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places August 25, 1983. NRIS 83001722.
1 contributing building.
The Joseph Raphael De Lamar House (also the De Lamar Mansion) is a mansion at 233 Madison Avenue, at the northeast corner of the intersection with 37th Street, in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York. Built from 1902 to 1905, the five-story house was designed by C. P. H. Gilbert in the Beaux-Arts style for Joseph Raphael De Lamar. The house has served as the Consulate General of Poland in New York City since 1973. The mansion is a New York City designated landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a contributing property to the Murray Hill Historic District.
The De Lamar Mansion's facade includes rusticated stonework, balconies, and a mansard roof. The western elevation of the facade is on Madison Avenue, while the southern elevation faces 37th Street. Both elevations are divided horizontally into three sections: the ground story, the second and third stories, and the roof. The facade on 37th Street consists of two projecting pavilions on either side of a recessed center pavilion. A life-sized statue of Jan Karski is installed outside the main entrance. The house is constructed with a steel superstructure and was originally equipped with five elevators and lifts. There were originally communal rooms on the first two stories, including a billiards room, dining room, and library on the first story and a ballroom, gallery, and music room on the second story. The upper stories had bedrooms, and there was also a gymnasium on the fifth story.
De Lamar acquired the site in 1901 and hired Gilbert to design a family residence. De Lamar, his daughter Alice, and several servants lived there until De Lamar died in 1918. The American Bible Society attempted to buy the house in 1921, but the deal was canceled due to disputes over zoning. In 1924, the National Democratic Club purchased the house, using it as a headquarters for half a century. The club sold the house to the Republic of Poland to pay off debts. The interior was renovated in the 1990s and 2000s, though the mansion retains its original decorative features.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319441