Douglas, Adelaide L. T., House
Also known as: Guatemalan Mission to the United Nations
Why it's listed
Six stories tall and faced in granite and limestone, this Park Avenue townhouse in Manhattan's Murray Hill was built in 1909-11 for socialite Adelaide Townsend Douglas. Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer designed it in the French Classic style of Louis XVI, fitting an elegant composition onto a standard 25-foot-wide New York lot. A rusticated base, a balcony cornice on paired modillions, carved panels of singing children inspired by Italian Renaissance reliefs, an arched colonnade and a slate mansard roof give the facade its character. Inside, a spiral staircase and a paneled second-floor drawing room survive. Mrs. Douglas bought the site in 1909, when Park Avenue south of Grand Central was a fashionable residential street. After her death the building became apartments, and since 1979 it has housed the Guatemalan Mission to the United Nations. It is valued as a refined example of Trumbauer's New York residential work.
Significance in brief: The house is a fine example of Horace Trumbauer's residential work in New York City, designed in the French Classic style of Louis XVI within the Beaux-Arts tradition. Its varied stone and wrought-iron ornament gives it special character. It also reflects Park Avenue's emergence as an elegant residential street near the new Grand Central Terminal.
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 82003373, listed July 15, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 57 Park Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | July 15, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003373 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1909-11) |
| Architect / builder | Horace Trumbauer |
| Architectural style | French Classic style of Louis XVI (Beaux-Arts tradition) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | No longer used as a residence; converted to apartments after Mrs. Douglas's death and, since 1979, houses the Guatemalan Mission to the United Nations. Retains many original interior features. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Murray Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.74925, -73.97948 (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 82003373.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5754060
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.