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Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Of all the mansions which once lined Fifth Avenue, from Washington Square to Central Park., only this one remains to display its original character; It is now the home of the Salmagundi Club.
It Is an outstanding example of a very grand mansion In the early Italianate style and was one of the first to have a facade entirely of brownstone, the forerunner of an architectural fad which swept the City in later decades. Its imposing entrance, richly framed in stone ornament, is entirely original and is reached by a very high, very wide sweep of steps rising over and above a full story rusticated basement. Heavily molded frames surround the French doors which open out from the parlor floor onto handsome balconies of cast iron.
This mansion was built In 1852-53 for Irad HawIey, the president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company -- which had its big yards near the Hudson River The West Village. The rooms of the first floor ere among the few lavish examples of the Italianate style left in New York - with their original carved marble chimney pieces, rose wood doors and arcaded Corinthian screen separating the front and back parlors. The former dining room, now a part of the art gallery, was designed in the Gothic style and is one of the few Interiors left to us of this once-popular Revival.
The Salmagundi Club, long known for its association with fine arts, purchased this house In 1917. The care with which the old mansion has boon preserved, although in constant use, reflects the Taste and knowledge of the membership. The Club Is composed of artists and was originally organized, in 1871, for ''the promotion of social intercourse among artists and the advancement of art". The name recalls the interest in the '"Salmagundi Papers" published by Washington Irving. The gallery, just behind the spacious hall exhibits work by the members. The Club's roster contains the names of some of America's most distinguished citizens, including Edwin H, Abbey, William r\ Chase, John LaFarge, Howard Pyfe, Louis C. Tiffany and Stanford White, among many others who have notably contributed to the arts.
- From the 1969 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report