972 Fifth Avenue
Encyclopedia
The Payne Whitney house is a historic building at 972 Fifth Avenue at 79th Street
in Manhattan
, New York City. It was designed by Stanford White
and is considered one of that great architect's finest mature works. It is currently the home of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.
as a wedding gift for his nephew and his bride, Helen Hay
, the Colonel had put up $625,000 to build the five-story mansion, the construction of which was still under White's supervision when he was murdered in 1906.
Stanford White designed and oversaw the construction of the exterior and interiors of the house.
Helen Hay Whitney, continued to live in the house until her death in 1944. (Whitney eventually had her favorite space in the mansion, the Venetian Room, removed and preserved before the house was sold in 1949]. In 1997, the room was donated to the French-American Foundation by Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney
, widow of Payne & Helen Whitney's son, Jock Whitney
, who provided funding for its restoration.) Since 1952 the building has served as a division of the French Embassy. It was restored in 1987, uncovering a stained-glass window designed especially for the house by John La Farge.
A Designated Landmark New York City plaque was provided by the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation in 1989.
79th Street (Manhattan)
79th Street is a major two-way street in the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East 79th Street stretches from East End Avenue to Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, where it enters Central Park through Miners' Gate...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City. It was designed by Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
and is considered one of that great architect's finest mature works. It is currently the home of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.
History
It was designed in the style of the high Italian Renaissance by McKim, Mead & White. It was erected in 1902-06 for financier, philanthropist, and sportsman Payne Whitney and his wife Helen, a poet and patron of the arts. Whitney had been given the land by his uncle Oliver Payne, who was an officer in the Civil War and the benefactor instrumental in establishing the Cornell University Medical College. Commissioned in 1902 by Payne Whitney's uncle Colonel Oliver Hazard PayneOliver Hazard Payne
Oliver Hazard Payne was an American businessman, organizer of the American Tobacco trust, and assisted with the formation of U.S. Steel, and was affiliated with Standard Oil. He is considered one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, having left an enormous fortune. His estate at Esopus, New York,...
as a wedding gift for his nephew and his bride, Helen Hay
Helen Hay Whitney
Helen Julia Hay Whitney was an American poet, writer, racehorse owner/breeder, socialite, and philanthropist. She was a member by marriage of the prominent Whitney family of New York.-Biography:...
, the Colonel had put up $625,000 to build the five-story mansion, the construction of which was still under White's supervision when he was murdered in 1906.
Stanford White designed and oversaw the construction of the exterior and interiors of the house.
Helen Hay Whitney, continued to live in the house until her death in 1944. (Whitney eventually had her favorite space in the mansion, the Venetian Room, removed and preserved before the house was sold in 1949]. In 1997, the room was donated to the French-American Foundation by Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney
Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney
Betsey Roosevelt Whitney , was an American philanthropist, the ex-wife of James Roosevelt , and later wife of American millionaire and U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St...
, widow of Payne & Helen Whitney's son, Jock Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
, who provided funding for its restoration.) Since 1952 the building has served as a division of the French Embassy. It was restored in 1987, uncovering a stained-glass window designed especially for the house by John La Farge.
A Designated Landmark New York City plaque was provided by the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation in 1989.