East 78th Street Houses
Why it's listed
Four modest brick rowhouses at 157-165 East 78th Street survive from a row of eleven built in 1861 on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Builder and speculator Henry Armstrong erected them for painter John Turner, using one standard plan repeated for each house. Each is three bays wide, two stories above a low ground floor, and topped with a pressed-metal Italianate cornice with consoles and modillions. Brick was chosen over costlier brownstone, and narrow lots reflected rising land prices that pushed builders of modest homes toward 18-foot widths. The stoops were removed in the early twentieth century, and Numbers 163 and 165 were joined into one residence in 1911. Number 157 later gained a slate mansard roof. The row is valued as one of the oldest on the Upper East Side and as a clear example of how Italianate details were adapted for working- and middle-class New Yorkers moving north in the 1860s. The houses remain private homes.
Significance in brief: The row is among the oldest rowhouses on the Upper East Side and shows how Italianate elements were adapted to modest working- and middle-class housing. It is a typical product of a speculator-builder who acted as his own architect and repeated one standard plan. The houses are the remnant of an original row of eleven, illustrating the long, nearly uniform rows of the era.
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 80002685, listed March 25, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 157,159,161, and 163-165 E. 78th St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | March 25, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002685 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Henry Armstrong, builder |
| Architectural style | Italianate (vernacular rowhouses) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition; the houses remain private residences and none has been divided into apartments. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.77402, -73.95860 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 80002685.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1277705
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.