Burden, James A. Jr., House and Kahn, Otto H., House
Also known as: Convent of the Sacred Heart School
Why it's listed
Two former Fifth Avenue-area mansions at 7 and 1 East 91st Street in Manhattan's Carnegie Hill now serve as a private girls' school. The Burden House, built between 1902 and 1905 to designs by Warren & Wetmore, is a French Beaux-Arts townhouse with a rusticated limestone base, a grand ballroom with projecting balconies, and a distinctive elliptical stair. The Kahn House, built 1913-1918 and designed by British architect J. Armstrong Stenhouse with C.P.H. Gilbert, is a limestone palazzo modeled on the Palazzo Cancelleria in Rome, with a private drive court and inner courtyard. The school acquired both in 1934 and joined them with a modern glass link in 1940-41. Much original decoration survives, including gilded ballrooms, tapestries and carved limestone. The pair was recognized for architectural quality, with the Burden House and Kahn House each described as among the finest of their types in New York City, and for their place in the area's social history.
Significance in brief: The nomination marks Architecture and Social History as areas of significance under Criteria A and C. It describes the Burden House as one of the finest French Beaux-Arts townhouses in New York City and the Kahn House as one of the finest Italian Renaissance style mansions in the city. Both buildings retain much of their original exterior and interior detailing despite conversion to a school.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06000821, listed September 12, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 70 and 1 E. 91st St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | September 12, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000821 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902-05 (Burden House); 1913-1934 (Kahn House) |
| Architect / builder | Warren & Wetmore (Burden House); J. Armstrong Stenhouse with associate architect C.P.H. Gilbert (Kahn House) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Beaux Arts and Italian Renaissance |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both houses were converted to a private girls' school, the Convent of the Sacred Heart, in 1934 and remain in school use, joined internally by a 1940-41 link; recent renovations and a rear addition to the Kahn House were completed. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.78479, -73.95753 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06000821.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q122020437
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.