Millionaires' Row on East 70th Street

Manhattan certainly has its share of beautiful townhouse blocks, with stretches of the West Village and Harlem coming particularly to mind. One block of the Upper East Side gets more attention, however, as Christopher Gray points out in yesterday’s Times, and not just because is probably has more $10 million-plus homes than any other city block in the country. A big part of the reason that East 70th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues is so beautiful today, with its mix of Victorian Gothic, Tudor and Georgian styles, is because of an early example of zoning restrictions, albeit one with private origins. In 1859 two owners on the block, Israel Walter and George Hinchman, made a formal agreement that all future construction on the north side of the block would be set back 10 feet, forever free and unoccupied. The oldest house on the block, number 129, was completed in 1863. Number 107 was built in 1921 for a partner at J.P. Morgan and is notable for its “picturesque chimneys, leaded-glass windows and a spectacular doorway with an ancient (or ancient-appearing) wooden door and No. 107 carved into the frame above.” The street hasn’t just been home to bankers and men of industry, though: Woody Allen bought number 118 last year.
Along Millionaires’ Row, at the Crest of Lenox Hill [NY Times]
Photos by John Marshall Mantel.