William J. Merritt headed the real estate development firm William J. Merritt & Co. and often acted as his own architect. But for the ambitious row of 19 four-story-and-basement houses he planned on the south side of West 73rd Street between Broadway and West End Avenue in 1887, he hired architect Charles T. Mott.
Completed in 1887, the row was a romantic take on French Renaissance architecture. Nestled among the streetscape of turrets and battlements was 258 West 73rd. A broad stoop with solid wing walls originally led to the brownstone-faced parlor level. The third and fourth floors, clad in rough faced brick, were dominated by a charming angled bay, the balcony of which was crowned with a stone railing with pierced quatrefoil openings. The fourth floor took the form of a tiled mansard, fronted by two dormers with elaborate French Renaissance crockets (still intact at the house's former twin at 250 West 73rd Street).
For some reason, the house sat vacant for two years. On November 7, 1889, an advertisement in the New York World noted it was the only house for sale on West 73rd Street. It was described as an "elegant 4-story house, 20 x 100; dining-room extension, new, never occupied; opposite Mayor Grant's." (Hugh Grant was the city's youngest mayor, elected at the age of 30 in 1888.)
Robert A. Hollister purchased the house for $40,000 (about $1.37 million in 2025), apparently as an investment. Living here in 1891 was the family of R. J. McCabe.
Early in March that year, Mrs. McCabe hired a 40-year-old English woman, Kate Mary Trigg, as a chambermaid and waitress. (A waitress in 19th century homes served in the parlor and dining room.) The 40-year-old had been living at the Young Woman's Christian Home on East 15th Street.
Kate Mary Trigg often complained of severe headaches. Just two weeks after taking the job, on the morning of March 27, she "packed up her effects and left the house, telling her employer that she was going away for good," as reported by The Evening World. That night, reported the newspaper, a "well-dressed woman...attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself into a small creek in the Salt Meadows near Newark Bay Bridge." Luckily, Trigg was seen by three employees of the Jersey Central Railroad who rescued her. The article said, "Her mind is believed to be affected."
The following year, D. Laurence Shaw and his wife, the former Agnes Moen, purchased the house. Shaw was a wholesale dealer in spices and baking powders at 62 College Place (today's West Broadway). He also owned a "summer hotel" in Lakeville, Connecticut. He and Agnes had a newborn son, D. Laurence, Jr. when they moved in.
Anges immediately began staffing the house and on March 4, 1892 advertised, "Waitress Wanted--Swede or German preferred; must be competent. Call, before 1 P.M. at 258 West 73d St."
Tragically, a month later, on April 18, the couple's baby boy died. His funeral was held in the house on April 21.
The couple's problems continued when D. Laurence Shaw was forced to declare bankruptcy on July 20, 1894. The New York Times noted, "Papers were also filed yesterday against Mr. Shaw to foreclose a mortgage of $5,000 on his house, 258 West Seventy-third Street." It was auctioned on December 24 that year. Foreclosure sales usually resulted in deals, but property on the West 73rd Street block was in high demand. The New York Times remarked, "the bidding was quite brisk and the purchaser had to pay $35,000 for the house, very near its real value."
The buyer was W. L. McCorkel. Living with him and his wife was their adult son, Henry H., who was a commissioner of deeds. Their residency would be short-lived. McCorkle sold the house to William C. Adams on October 21, 1897. Adams was the president of the S. F. Adams Realty Co. and of W. C. Adams & Co.
Just before 6:00 on the morning of December 20, 1898, fire broke out in the house of Charles H. Raymond next door at 260 West 73rd Street. The blaze swept through the house, trapping the occupants, several of whom jumped from upper floor windows. One of them was Mrs. Raymond's sister, visiting from Ohio for Christmas. She plunged to the sidewalk, fatally fracturing her skull. The body of Harriet Fee, the cook, was found on the third floor. Four people, including the Raymonds, were taken to the hospital seriously injured.
The fire had been discovered in the pantry by a chambermaid named Mularkey. She notified Harriet Fee who rushed upstairs to awaken the others in the house, while Mularkey ran into the street to get help. "The maid ran up and down the street, shrieking, and several neighbors, hearing her, ran out," reported the New York Evening Post. As the drama played out next door, the hysterical woman, suffering from shock, was taken into the Adams house.
The Adams family remained here until 1907, when they sold 258 West 73rd Street to Julia A. and Albert L. House. Albert was a stockbroker. The couple hired architect Frank Hausle in December that year to install a new bathroom.
The couple's affluence was reflected in a notice in The New York Times on August 22, 1909. "Lost--A lady's Tiffany watch, diamond and pearl studded; owner's name inside; please return to Mrs. A. L. House, 258 West 73d St.; suitable reward."
Living with the Houses in 1910 was Isabelle Evesson. She and her sister, Estelle, were partners in the Bassford Estate Corporation, formed to recover compensation for their grandfather's massive real estate holdings. On April 25, 1907, the Montana Standard said, "these two Evesson sisters, year in and year out, are making their fight for untold millions."
Isabelle Evesson, The Players Blue Book, 1901 (copyright expired)
While they litigated the estate, the sisters performed on stage. Isabelle had appeared in the original cast of the 1887 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Richard Mansfield; and among her other Broadway appearances were Papa's Wife in 1899-1900 and Anna Karenina in 1905.
The Houses had an esteemed houseguest in 1910. On January 15, The Mining World commented, "Lazard Cahn of Colorado Springs, Colo., dealer in mineral specimens, will be at 258 West 73d street, New York city, for the next few months." A well-known chemist and geologist, Cahn first identified the mineral Cahnite, named for him.
Lazard Cahn in his laboratory around 1930. from the collection of the Pikes peak Library District
Shortly before noon on May 8, 1914, Albert L. House stepped off a southbound Fourth Avenue streetcar at 19th Street. The New York Times reported, "as Mr. House got off the car he stepped in front of the oncoming truck and was knocked down and kicked by the horses." House was taken to the New York Hospital where he died later that night.
Julia House sold 258 West 73rd Street around 1918. It was converted to bachelor apartments (meaning they had no kitchens) the following year. The stoop was removed and the entrance lowered to below grade. The two ornate dormers were replaced by a tall shed dormer. The Department of Buildings noted, "not more than 15 rooms to be used for sleeping purposes." An advertisement for one apartment described, "Handsomely furnished, two rooms and bath apartment; all conveniences; direct private telephone; summer porch."
image via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services
Among the tenants in 1923 was David Arnof. That year he became involved in a mystery surrounding his brother, Jacob, who had gone to South America early in 1920 with a friend, Harry Wolfe. Jacob had obtained a job as a clerk with the Buenos Aires office of the United States Shipping Board. Letters from Jacob came regularly until the end of 1920, then they stopped for about three months. On November 26, 1923, The Oshkosh Northwestern said, "When letters began arriving again, members of the family said the handwriting had changed entirely and no mention was made of intimate family affairs."
Early in 1921, Jacob drew a draft on his father's account for $500 (about $8,500 today). In 1922, he drew another $250, and on August 6, 1923 he cabled his father for $25,000, saying "the family would be disgraced if it was not sent." In addition to his desperate demands for money, the family's suspicions were heightened by "strange phrases" in Jacob's letters, his failure to mention his five siblings, and by photographs that only slightly resembled him.
Jacob Arnof was accused of defrauding his employer of 400,000 pesos in November 1923. Shortly afterward, he committed suicide. But a note found with the body was signed by Harry Wolfe. It said he "wanted to clear the name of his friend." According to the note, Jacob Arnof had drowned on November 7, 1920 while the two friends were canoeing. Wolfe took over his identity for three years, using his passport and possessions. During that time he embezzled from the United States Shipping Board, and deceived Arnof's family into supplying him with cash.
On December 27, 1923, the Republic City News reported, "Whether the body of the suicide is that of Arnof or of 'Harry Wolfe' will not be definitely established until David Arnof of New York...arrives in Buenos Aires." In South America, David Arnof discovered the extent to which Wolfe had gone to carry out the deception. The two friends resembled one another, but Jacob Arnof had a scar on his face. On January 19, 1924, the Adelaide, Australia newspaper the Saturday Journal revealed that Wolfe "burned on his cheek with acid a scar similar to Arnof's scar."
A bit beleaguered today, there are nine rental units within the building. In addition to the 1919 remodeling, an obtrusive drain pipe that snakes down the facade and protruding window air conditioners disguise the fact that it was once the home of wealthy families.
photographs by the author
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