J. M. Felson's 1937 161 East 88th Street

Although the country was mired in the Great Depression, architect J. M. Felson was busy designing apartment houses in New York City in the 1930s, sometimes acting as his own developer.  In 1936, he was hired by York Enterprises to design a six-story structure at 159 through 163 East 88th Street.  Completed the following year, the Art Deco, six-story building was faced in beige brick.  Unlike Felson's 1931 40 West 86th Street, which was decorated with brilliantly colored terra cotta panels, 16 East 88th Street depended almost entirely on brick.

Stone appeared only at the reeded entrance, which was capped by a waterfall-like panel.  Felson accentuated the verticality of the relatively short building by laying the bricks within the spandrels between floors on their ends.  The fire escapes were part of the design, their curved corners and chevron motifs melding with the Art Deco architecture.  Felson reserved the drama for the top floor, where Aztec inspired panels and a stair-stepping parapet stole the show.

There were seven apartments per floor, ranging from one-and-a-half to four rooms with either one or two baths.  A 1937 advertisement in The New York Sun boasted, "modern elevator apartments; dropped living rooms, dining alcoves, open galleries, concealed radiation, etc."  Rents started at $55--or about $1,140 by 2024 terms.

from Columbia University's Real Estate Brochure Collection

Among the initial residents was the George William Knight family.  Knight's father, Louis Aston Knight (who went professional by his middle name), was a recognized landscape artist.  When his parents and sister, Diane, returned to America on the Vulcania on November 26, 1937, they "went to the home of a son, George W. Knight, at 161 East Eighty-eighth street," reported The New York Sun.

Aston Knight had been busy abroad, completing about 20 paintings in Normandy.  He told the press, "I have no definite plans.  We shall spend the Christmas holidays in Rochester and go on a cruise at Eastertime, probably to the West Indies, but just where will depend on the sailings."

The Knights apparently approved of their son's apartment, and within a year they, too, had moved in.  Born in Paris in 1873, Aston Knight first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1894.  In 1922, President Warren G. Harding purchased his The Afterglow for the White House.

Knight's wife was the former Caroline Ridgeway Brewster.  In addition to George and Diane, they had a son, Ridgway Brewster.  (Ridgway would go on to become American ambassador to Syria, Belgium and Portugal.)  

Along the Seine is typical of Aston Knight's work.

The Knights were visible in Manhattan society.  On February 20, 1939, for instance, The New York Sun published a photo of Diane in an evening gown and George in white tie at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center, "where they were members of a dinner party."  Interestingly, when Diane married James R. Todd in the Church of the Transfiguration on June 25, 1940, The New York Sun noted, "A small reception will follow at the home of the bride's brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Knight, 161 East Eighty-eighth street," rather than her parents' apartment.

Living here in 1941 was Yolanda De Clifford, described by the New York Evening Telegram as, "a rather plump brunette...who says she is a singer, a linguist and a playwrighting collaborator."  Sharing her apartment was her Irish Setter, Erin's Pride, which she fondly called Tinko.

Yolanda De Clifford, The New York Sun, May 29, 1942

One afternoon while De Clifford was walking Tinko, he "rushed upon the tiny dog being walked by [Irving] Halpern and bowled it over," reported The New York Sun.  De Clifford explained to Halpern, who "seemed somewhat disturbed," that Tinko was "just being playful."

Halpern soon got over the incident and turned his attention to Tinko.  De Clifford said her dog was worth $750 (a considerable $14,000 today), and Halpern asked "if he might take the dog out walking sometime."  Yolanda De Clifford did some research and discovered that Halpern routinely walked other people's dogs.

When she fell ill on December 28, 1941, she remembered Halpern's offer and called him.  Immediately, both Halpern and Tinko disappeared.  Five months later, on May 29, 1942, The New York Sun reported, "If Irving Halpern weren't so fond of taking other people's dogs for walks he wouldn't be in jail trying to raise $500 bail."  

Halpern had finally been tracked down and brought to court.  "Tinko, he said, is somewhere on Long Island," reported The New York Sun, which added, "He has a record of twelve previous arrests, the police say, including a sentence in 1936 for three years in the Federal Penitentiary and a $500 fine for passing counterfeit money."  Whether Yvonne De Clifford was ever reunited with her pricey Irish Setter is unclear.

At the time, resident Edward F. Morrisey was serving in World War I aboard a Superfortress B-29 bomber.  On March 26, 1945, The New York Sun reported that Sergeant Morrisey had been awarded "the Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal for outstanding and meritorious achievement on flights from India and Western China."

Educator Dr. George Kurke and his wife, the former Miriam Morris, lived at 161 East 88th Street during the war years.  Born in 1890, Kurke graduated from City College in 1910 and earned his law degree from New York Law School.  He received his Ph.D. from New York University in 1938.  The principal of Robert E. Simon Junior High School, he was also the editor of the Roosevelt Quarterly and associate editor of the Roosevelt House Review.  Nationally recognized for his innovations in education, he revised a series of arithmetic books for the American Book Company, was instrumental in developing a teacher's handbook and new type of report card, along with other public school improvements.  He received the Roosevelt Medallion for "distinguished service rendered in connection with Americanization work," according to The New York Times. 

Little has changed to the exterior of 161 East 88th Street.  Its Art Deco façade is an integral thread in the diverse architectural tapestry that makes up this Upper East Side block.

photographs by the author

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