Loew, William Goadby, House
Also known as: Smithers Alcoholism Center
Why it's listed
Completed in 1930-31 at 56 East 93rd Street, this four-story steel-frame mansion in Manhattan's Carnegie Hill area was built for William Goadby Loew, a stockbroker and racing horse owner, and his wife Florence Baker. The firm Walker & Gillette designed it in a freely modified English Regency style, with a limestone facade, curved two-story end pavilions, a Corinthian portico and a convex mansard roof with round-arched dormers. A. Stewart Walker, like Loew, was a son-in-law of banker George F. Baker. The house is considered the last large town house built in the neighborhood, arriving as luxury apartment buildings and the Great Depression made such residences anachronistic. After Loew's death in 1955 it was sold to showman Billy Rose, producer of the 1939 World's Fair Aquacade, and it remains his principal residence. The building is now used as a medical therapy center and its interior is only minimally altered.
Significance in brief: It is described as the last of the large town houses built in Carnegie Hill and as marking the end of the golden era of the New York City mansion. It is an original design and one of the most interesting works of Walker & Gillette. It is also the major residence associated with showman Billy Rose, who bought it after William Goadby Loew died in 1955.
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 82003384, listed July 15, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 56 E. 93rd St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | July 15, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003384 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1930-31) |
| Architect / builder | Walker & Gillette |
| Architectural style | Free version of the English Regency style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Performing Arts |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in excellent condition; the interior is minimally altered and houses the Smithers Alcoholism Center, affiliated with Roosevelt Hospital. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Park Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.78498, -73.95511 (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 82003384.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14707778
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.