Stanford White, the famed architect of the prolific firm McKim, Mead and White, designed an exorbitant amount of buildings in New York City throughout the Gilded Age. From places of entertainment and the homes of New York’s elite, to utilitarian structures and a college campus, White’s designs varied in scale and purpose, but always had a sense of grandeur and great attention to detail. Here are 20 past and present buildings in New York City that were designed by Stanford White.
20. The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South
The Players is a members only social club that was founded in 1889 by Edwin Booth, (brother of the infamous assassin John Wilkes Booth) one of the most renowned American actors of the 19th century, and fifteen illustrious friends and colleagues including Mark Twain and General William T. Sherman. Booth commissioned another famous friend, architect Stanford White, to redesign the façade and interiors of a Gothic-Revival mansion at 16 Gramercy Park South to make a home for his new club. This same building, with dark wood interiors and balconies that overlook the private park, has served generations of actors, artists, writers and arts aficionados who have been part of the club over the past nearly 130 years. Booth actually lived in an apartment on the third floor that remains virtually unaltered since he died on June 7th, 1893. Current notable members of this social club include Jimmy Fallon, Ethan Hawke and Tommy Lee Jones, whose portraits hang in the club’s grand staircase.
If you want to explore the Stanford White interiors of this clubhouse, you can join Untapped Cities’ upcoming Special Access Tour of the Players Club!
Insider Tour of the Players Club on Gramercy Park