8. The Gilded Age Leonard Jerome Mansion
The Jerome Mansion at Madison Square Park. Image from Library of Congress.
The Leonard Jerome Mansion was a Gilded Age mansion completed in 1865 and one of the first buildings landmarked under the new preservation law in 1965. Built by a business associate of Cornelius Vanderbilt, himself a builder of lavish mansions, the Leonard Jerome Mansion was located on the east side of Madison Square Park. Controversy ensued soon after designation, as new owners claimed financial hardship under a clause of the landmarks law. After no buyers were to be found, building demolition permits were issued. The Leonard Jerome Mansion was then replaced by the New York Merchandise Mart, designed by architects at Emery Roth and Sons.