{"nrhp_refnum":"83001744","name":"Rogers, John S., House","other_names":["New York Society Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"53 E. 79th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.77629857100004,"lon":-73.96164269399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story limestone townhouse at 53 East 79th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, built in 1917 for the John S. Rogers family and designed by Trowbridge & Livingston. It now houses the New York Society Library.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an exceptional example of neo-Italian Renaissance architecture and a major example of the residential work of the notable firm Trowbridge & Livingston. It is also significant as the home since 1937 of the New York Society Library, founded in 1754.","narrative":"Located at 53 East 79th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, this limestone house rises five stories and three bays wide, ending in a stone frieze, cornice and balustrade. The top floor is set back to form an open terrace beneath a tile roof with a wide overhang. A Doric-pilastered doorway and pedimented second-floor windows mark the facade. Trowbridge & Livingston designed it in neo-Italian Renaissance style for the John S. Rogers family in 1917. The firm also produced the B. Altman store, the J.P. Morgan banking house at 23 Wall Street and the St. Regis Hotel. In 1937 the New York Society Library, founded in 1754, bought the house with a bequest from the estate of Mrs. Charles C. Goodhue. Interior alterations cut the original 39 rooms to 24, though coffered ceilings, paneling and mantels survive. The library remains open to public use, and subscribers may borrow books.","period_of_significance":"1917","architect_builder":"Trowbridge & Livingston","architectural_style":"Neo-Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; used as a library by the New York Society Library since 1937, with interior alterations that reduced the rooms from 39 to 24.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:43.120036-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/83001744.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001744/0bdc7ea78c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001744/0bdc7ea78c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jim.henderson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Society_Library_53_E79_jeh.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim.henderson</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Society_Library_53_E79_jeh.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319870","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Society_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7013996"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/rogers-john-s-house-83001744/"}