H. I. Feldman's 65 East 76th Street

 

photograph by Lowell Cochrane

Among the properties sold off in the liquidation of Standard Oil Company executive Lannon V. Harkness's estate in 1916 was the upscale rowhouse at 65 East 76th Street.  The Bridgeport, Connecticut Evening Farmer reported its value at $275,000, or just over $8 million in 2025 terms.

In 1943, architect H. I. Feldman filed plans for an apartment building on the site of 59 through 63 East 76th Street for Kenkim Realty Corporation.  The project stalled, however, for two years later.  Then, on October 11, 1945, The New York Sun reported that the developer had, "enlarged its holdings by the purchase of 65 East 76th Street to be included in the site." 

Hyman Isaac Feldman, who went professionally by his initials, had opened his architectural practice in 1921 and by now was well-known for his Art Deco and Art Moderne-style apartments.  His 11-story design included a stepped stone base and, in trademark Feldman form, a full-height recessed bay above the entrance.  Windows wrapped around the chamfered corners of the central bay.  The upper floors were faced in beige brick and the terraces were given streamlined railings.

photograph by Lowell Cochrane

Feldman was brought back in 1949 to add a penthouse level.  It included two apartments and "two maid's rooms under the water tank," according to Department of Buildings documentation.

Among the initial residents were Sanford E. Gerard and his wife, the former Mildred Telfer.  Their country home was in Beach Hampton, Amagansett, Long Island.  Born on June 12, 1902, Gerard was a commercial artist.  He was at one point the art director of Macy's department store, and in 1931 became art director of the advertising agency Lennen & Mitchell, Inc.  Gerard pursued fine art as well and his watercolors and drawings were exhibited in the Philadelphia Watercolor Show and the National Academy of Art.  He wrote the book, How Good is Your Taste?

The comfortable lifestyles of the residents were reflected in the Frank J. Hickey family, who announced the engagement of their daughter Joan Ware to Arne Rostad, Jr. in November 1951.  The family had country homes in Palm Beach and Winsted, Connecticut.  Joan was educated at St. Margaret's School in Waterbury, Connecticut; the College of William and Mary; and the Art Students League.  The couple's wedding in St. Thomas's Church on Fifth Avenue was followed by a reception at the Carlyle.

Dr. Otto C. Kestler was living here as early as 1953.  An orthopedic surgeon, he was graduated from the Royal University in Budapest, Hungary in 1930 and came to America in 1939.  While living here he was attending orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Joint Diseases.

Among Kestler's neighbors at the time was Bernard H. Sumergrade.  He was a partner in N. Sumergrade & Sons, a bedding manufacturer founded by his father, Nathan.

Another respected physician to live here was Dr. Milton Goodfriend, along with his wife, the former Rose Soman.  The couple were here by the early 1970s.  An obstetrician and gynecologist, Goodfriend received his medical degree in 1919 from Columbia University and studied further at the University of Vienna.  He had been head of the medical boards at Bronx-Lebanon and Jewish Memorial Hospitals.  Before his retirement, Goodfriend was president and chairman of the Bronx County Medical Society.

photograph by Lowell Cochrane.

No. 65 East 76th Street survives as a sterling example of H. I. Feldman's trademark Art Moderne apartment building style.

many thanks to reader Lowell Cochrane for requesting this post