IT’S been three years since I walked 79th Street, Upper East and West Side, through Central Park, for a FNY Crosstown entry that hasn’t happened yet. FNY has a backlog of hundreds, if not thousands, of photos I haven’t used yet, and since I just turned 68, well, time is beginning to grow short. I was so taken by the apartment building called The Evelyn, at #101 West 78th Street at Columbus, I wandered over to get a shot of the red brick Renaissance Revival masterpiece. I have no idea what any of the apartments look like, but in the new age of blue glass apartment towers, I treasure the work of architects in years past.
The Evelyn was designed and built in the 1880s by architect Emil Gruwe for developer James O’Friel who had moved to NYC from St. Louis. Besides the red brick, Gruwe placed numerous terra cotta cherubs and vegetation on the ground floor, the fashion during the nascent Beaux Arts era. In 1905 the building was renovated by its then-owner, millionaire Henry B. Auchincloss. In 1906, a two-bedroom would rent for $600, a figure in the $2000s today: currently a bargain compared to modern rental prices. In 1987 many of the terra cotta figres were saved by destruction when its new owners desired to place a store on the ground floor and one of the doors would have displaced some of them. Community outcry and an article by NY Times architecture writer David Dunlap (who is still active) did the trick and the figures were saved.
More info, including stories of some of the building’s tenants over the years, by meticulous researcher Tom Miller in Daytonian in Manhattan.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
9/1/25
9 comments
I did some googling, and the building is apparently full of very large, VERY expensive condominiums, most of which are full of modern details. Lots of money, not a whole lot of personality, IMHO.
The building is gorgeous, though!
Terrific location, right behind the AMNH.
I looked for pictures of apartments on real estate sites but couldn’t find any.
A photo magazine called Aperture is moving its offices into the lower two floors.
Aperture used to be located at a rare T-intersection in Manhattan, in a modest old townhouse opposite the beginning of Madison Avenue at 23rd Street. They had a store there, and I would browse books while taking advantage of looking up the incredible view of Madison shooting straight north for miles. Now that townhouse has been demolished and a wicked-thin ultra-tall residential spaghetti box apartment built there for trillionaires. I hope Aperture is not a curse, and that the Evelyn does not suffer the same fate.
Rent for a two bedroom apartment in 1906 was nowhere near 600 bucks. It was more like $8-$15. Also, that rent you mentioned would be, after adjusting for inflation, $22,026.00 in 2025 dollars.
From linked article from Daytonian:
An advertisement in The Sun on October 28, 1906 warned “Only Two Apartments Left.” Available were a three-room and bath apartment for $720; and a two-room and bath suite for $600. The more expensive rent of the two would be equal to more than $1,680 per month today. The ad noted “Open plumbing, tiled bath, steam heat, electric light, hot and cold water, chambermaid service.”
Unless I’m misunderstanding it, it was indeed $600 for 2 rooms.
The amounts quoted in the advertisement were annual, not monthly, amounts. People of relatively better means paid rents for the entire year in full. Monthly rent payments were relegated to the lower classes. The monthly breakdown would have been $60/mo. for three rooms and $50/mo. for two rooms. I have a jpeg of page 26 of the October 28, 1906 edition of The Sun which has numerous examples of how rents were listed.. Unfortunately, I can’t post it here. I’ll send it to you via Facebook Messenger.
The website streeteasy.com shows availability of units and unavailable units with photos and prices of some of the units.
https://streeteasy.com/building/101-west-78th-street-new_york
There is Only One Final Residence at 101 West 78th Street.
Designed by Emile Gruwe and completed in 1886, 101 West 78th Street is a bold and distinctive landmark building located on the corner of 78th Street and Columbus Avenue, directly across the street from its architectural contemporary, the American Museum of Natural History. This turn-of-the-century treasure has been thoughtfully restored and thoroughly modernized to preserve the historical fabric of the building and create an elegant, modern boutique condominium for the 21st century. Stephen Sills, an Architectural Digest “AD 100” designer, has fashioned the building’s lobby, amenity spaces, and a collection of carefully conceived two-to-five-bedroom residences.
Apartment proportions in the building are grand, with large windows, up to ten and a half foot ceilings and gas fireplaces in some residences. Custom-made Smallbone of Devizes kitchens incorporate Stephen Sills-designed cabinetry in a white, hand-painted finish, accompanied with glass-fronted upper cabinets and antique brass hardware, an array of Miele appliances, and White-Carrara-honed-marble countertops with full-height slab backsplash. Solid oak herringbone floors grace the public rooms, with plank floors found in kitchens, bedrooms and corridors. Bathrooms feature sinks, fittings, and accessories from Waterworks and Stephen Sills custom-designed millwork.
101 West 78th Street is a full-service building with a 24-hour attended lobby. Amenities include a fitness center, children’s playroom and bicycle storage. Private storage spaces are also available for purchase.
Tony-Forgotten NY should not be used for making sales pitches.
There are other websites for that purpose if you want to sell real estate
I mentioned I had never been inside.