Houses at 120 and 122 East 92nd Street
Why it's listed
Two wood-frame Italianate houses at 120 and 122 East 92nd Street, in Manhattan's Yorkville area, survive from a time when this part of the city was still semi-rural. Each is three stories high, with a porch with open-work columns, clapboard walls, shuttered windows and a bracketed cornice. Both sit back from the street behind planted yards enclosed by simple iron fences. The form gives 1859 for one house and 1871 for the other, and the builder is unknown. The interiors keep original staircases with trumpet-turned balustrades, along with moldings and marble fireplaces. No. 122 gained a penthouse, an enclosed alleyway and a garden room with a greenhouse roof in 1927. The houses are significant as rare survivors of the 1860s and 1870s on the Upper East Side. They were laid out to fit the 1811 street grid, which helped them endure while neighboring farmhouses were replaced by brick and stone rowhouses. Their Italianate ornament and proportions remain largely intact.
Significance in brief: The houses are rare survivors from the 1860s and 1870s on the Upper East Side. They were built before the area was extensively developed and follow the Street Commissioners' plan of 1811. Their Italianate ornament is more commonly found on brick and stone buildings, and they remained largely unchanged as East 92nd Street grew up around them.
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 82001195, listed October 29, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 120-122 East 92nd St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | October 29, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001195 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and altered; occupied as private residences. 122 East 92nd Street received a 1927 penthouse, an enclosed alleyway addition and a garden room. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.78343, -73.95383 (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 82001195.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17994851
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.