West 73rd-74th Street Historic District
Why it's listed
This block on Manhattan's Upper West Side holds 45 buildings, mostly townhouses, along West 73rd Street, West 74th Street and Columbus Avenue. The land was once part of the Richard Somerindyck farm and was assembled for development by Edward Clark, president of the Singer Manufacturing Company, who also commissioned the nearby Dakota Apartments. Henry J. Hardenbergh designed the long rows of West 73rd Street houses in a German Renaissance manner meant to complement the Dakota. Percy Griffin designed a row of eighteen Georgian Revival houses on West 74th Street, and Welch, Smith & Provot, John H. Duncan and George Griebel contributed other buildings, including a light-storage commercial structure on Columbus Avenue. The fifteen-story neo-Gothic Park Royal of 1926 replaced ten demolished Hardenbergh houses. Restrictive covenants on setbacks and height preserved the block's harmonious, residential character, and the district retains a high degree of integrity and architectural quality.
Significance in brief: The district is architecturally significant as an outstanding group of residential buildings by several notable architects, built between 1882 and 1926. It grew out of development by Edward Clark of the Singer Manufacturing Company, and restrictive covenants on setbacks and height kept the block harmonious. It is also cited as an example of community planning in New York City.
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 83001752, listed September 8, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 73rd, 74th Sts. and Columbus Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | September 8, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001752 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1882-1926 |
| Architect / builder | Henry Hardenbergh, Percy Griffin, John H. Duncan, George Griebel, George F. Pelham, Welch, Smith & Provot |
| Architectural style | Mixed styles: German Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, Georgian Revival, neo-Georgian, neo-Gothic, and free classical commercial detailing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as retaining an outstanding degree of integrity and cohesiveness; one non-historic apartment building from 1940 is included. Present uses include private residence, commercial, educational and religious. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 40.77788, -73.97691 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 83001752.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.