Last week, we joined the New York Adventure Club on a private tour of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, led by the Consul and Vice Consul themselves. This tour covered the first two floors of the Joseph Raphael De Lamar Mansion at 233 Madison Avenue built in from 1905 to 1906 by C.P.H. Gilbert in the Beaux-Arts style, whose other work include the Harry F. Sinclair House (now the Ukrainian Institute), the Morton F. Plant House on Fifth Avenue (now Cartier), the Otto H. Kahn House (now the Convent of the Sacred Heart).
The tour of the Murray Hill mansion included the former library, billiard room, and dining room. De Lamar was a merchant seaman, born Dutch, who made his money in mining and metallurgy during the California Gold Rush. The building once housed the National Democratic Club and the American Bible Society, and the AIA Guide to New York City notes that the “interiors are as opulent as the exterior, and largely intact.” One of the fun facts we learned on the tour is that the mansion has an elevator originally designed to lower a horse and carriage into the basement, and was later used for cars. Today it’s used for trash removal and freight.
Scroll down for the entire photo series, all by Dark Cyanide, exterior by Corey William Schneider.
The top of the staircase has a leaded glass skylight
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
