In 1960, before being protected within the Carnegie Hill Historic District, the house was given an unsightly rooftop addition, visible from the street.
Developers and builders William J. and John P. C. Walsh embarked on an ambitious project in 1887, breaking ground for 12 rowhouses that would nearly engulf the entire southern blockfront of East 95th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. Designed by C. Abbott French & Co., each Queen Anne-style home was different yet harmonious. They created a charming streetscape of colors and materials, oriels and gables, and other decorations.
The $10,000 worth of stone used in erecting the homes was purchased from M. C. Henry & Co., according to the Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide on October 8, 1887. The "old reliable and successful firm of stone cutters," as described by the journal, was headed by Matthew C. Henry and John Gaynor.
Construction on the row was completed in 1888. Interestingly, when the Walshes placed the two easternmost houses, 136 and 138 East 95th Street, at auction in October 1889, Matthew C. Henry purchased them for $14,000 each (about $492,000 in 2026 terms).
Henry and his wife, Maria, briefly occupied No. 138. The couple had a country home in New Rochelle. Like the others, 138 East 95th Street was three stories tall above an English basement fronted by a dog-legged box stoop. The upper floors were faced in beige brick and trimmed in terra cotta and sandstone. The parlor floor openings with their curved corners sat below substantial, blocky lintels--the color of the stone so similar to the brick that they nearly disappear. Between the door and window was a large terra cotta plaque containing a shield, and charming terra cotta tiles of sunflowers filled the gap below the window.
The late New York Times journalist Christopher Gray would call 138 East 95th Street a "potpourri," pointing out "its great oriel bay designed with 12-pane transoms and curved sides, and flanked by a checkerboard brick wall." Originally, another terra cotta panel or rondel decorated the gable under the cornice.
Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide, September 23, 1876 (copyright expired)
Interestingly, in 1890 Henry excavated the basement floor, lowering it to accommodate "dining rooms." The exact purpose of those rooms is unclear.
The Henrys sold 138 East 95th Street to Ivan and Hilda Frank in June 1891 for $16,500 (about $587,000 today). Frank was the principal in Ivan Frank & Co., makers of children's clothing. The couple had one daughter, Minna Vera, and a son, Lawrence.
Minna's wedding to Sigmund Lang Newman took place in Sherry's on January 26, 1910.
Frank, who was still living with his parents, went into real estate development. On June 15, 1912, for instance, The New York Times reported that he had purchased 104 through 110 West 29th Street. "Mr Frank is in Europe at present, but it is understood that...a twelve story modern fireproof loft building is to be erected."
In 1913, the Franks moved to 176 West 87th Street and leased 138 East 95th Street to Morris (sometimes spelled Morice) and Bella Bernhard Schwartzkopf. Born in New York City in 1857 and 1861 respectively, Morris and Bella had two children, Clara S., born in 1895, and Irving Morris, born in 1898. Morris was a partner in the cigar box manufacturing firm, Schwarzkopf & Ruckert.
Irving Schwartzkopf entered the U.S. Army in 1916, the same year that his sister's engagement to Harry M. Benjamin was announced. Clara's wedding took place on June 1, and it is unclear whether Irving was able to attend.
Ivan Frank died on April 9, 1918. The East 95th Street residence became a rooming house. While the tenants were respectable, they were not merchant class like the earlier residents.
Living here in 1920 was John Ryan, who worked as a motorman on a trolley. He was involved in a serious accident on September 15 that year. The New-York Tribune reported that 13 passengers "were hurt last night when the car crashed into a Broadway trolley in front of the car barns at 129th Street and Amsterdam Avenue." All of the passengers required medical attention, but only one was hospitalized.
Ryan told authorities that his brakes "were not working right." When another trolley pulled out of the car barn, Ryan crashed into it. According to the New-York Tribune, he said "the collision occurred before he could stop his car."
Sara S. Steele, who lived here in 1922, was typical of the other residents. She worked as a nurse for the City of New York. Another roomer, named Peterson, was looking for employment that year. His ad read, "Butler, valet, bachelor apartment or small family; good references."
At some point around this time, the terra cotta ornament in the gable was removed. Why it was remains a mystery.
The terra cotta ornament had been pried off the gable as early as 1941. via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services.
No. 138 returned to a single family house when it was sold in October 1951. It became home to siblings Gilbert and Doris Francklyn, born in 1870 and 1887, respectively. The Francklyns, who never married, came from high society. Their father, Charles Gilbert Francklyn, was born on Washington Square. He was the grandson of Samuel Cunard, the shipping magnate and founder of the Cunard Line. Their mother was Susan Sprague Hoyt, who was born in the Hoyt mansion at 94 Fifth Avenue.
Charles Gilbert Francklyn died in 1929 and Susan in 1932. Included in Gilbert's and Doris's inheritance was the family's country home, Redcroft, in Southampton, erected by their father in 1897.
Gilbert was a retired executive with the Consolidated Gas Company (of which his father had been a director). A poet, Doris had been a teacher.
Moving into 138 East 95th Street with the Francklyns was Jean Cammann, a close friend of Doris, who had begun living with the siblings as a teenager in 1940. At the time, she was attending the Barmore School.
Jean also had a sterling social pedigree. She made her debut in 1949 "at the Junior Assemblies in New York and the Tuxedo Autumn Ball in Tuxedo Park," said The New York Times. It is unclear why Jean lived with the Francklyns rather than her mother, Mrs. Philip G. Cammann. But the situation ended on July 11, 1953 when Jean was married to Arnold Guyot Dana in a notable society wedding in Southampton.
Gilbert Francklyn died in the house at the age of 87 on June 15, 1957. In reporting his death, The New York Times remarked: "Educated at Eton and at Christ College, Cambridge, England, he had been a famous Cambridge rowing star in the Eighteen Eighties."
Two years later, on August 6, 1959, Doris died at the age of 72 at the Southampton estate. The Daily Item reported on August 17 that she divided her estate equally to Jean Cammann Dana and "another friend, Alice L. Schrieber."
The new owners of 138 East 95th Street added a studio addition to the roof. Because the Expanded Carnegie Hill Historic District would not be established until December 1993, there was no restriction against visible, intrusive structures at the time. The house continues to be a one-family home.
photographs by the author
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