Schickel, William, House
Also known as: Ann Hyde Clark Choate House
Why it's listed
Built in 1881-82 at 52 East 83rd Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, this red brick row house was designed by architect William Schickel as his own home. It rises three stories over a rusticated limestone basement, with an attic under a slate mansard roof, three dormers and a bracketed cornice. An elaborate entrance with fluted Ionic columns and a projecting stone balcony sits atop a high stoop. Schickel, a German-born architect who designed churches, hospitals, mansions and commercial buildings, lived here until his death in 1907, and his family stayed until 1919. The Choate family then owned it until 1946. Anna Hyde Clark Choate became the second president of the Girl Scouts of America in 1920 and remained active in the organization until her death in 1967. The house was divided into apartments in 1947 and returned to single-family use in the 1990s. It remains in excellent condition and largely intact, and is notable as a fine example of its style.
Significance in brief: The house is significant for its architecture as an excellent, largely intact example of a French Second Empire row house, with a slate mansard roof, a bold mix of red brick and white stone, and an elaborate entrance. It is also significant for its association with William Schickel, a prominent 19th-century New York architect, and with Anna Hyde Clark Choate, second president of the Girl Scouts of America, who lived there from 1919.
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 04001326, listed December 6, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 52 E. 83rd St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | December 6, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001326 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1881-1946 |
| Architect / builder | Schickel, William |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/French Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent physical condition and mainly intact; altered for apartments in 1947 and restored to single-family use in the 1990s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Park Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.77863, -73.95995 (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 04001326.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q116152674
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.