Daytonian in Manhattan

The stories behind the buildings, statues and other points of interest that make Manhattan fascinating.

Saturday, August 22, 2026

The Unrecognizable Augustus Kountze Mansion - 238 Madison Avenue

photograph by Ted Leather Born in Ohio on November 19, 1826, Augustus Kountze worked in his father's grocery store as a young man. Wi...

Friday, August 21, 2026

The 1931 Rothman's Pawn Shop Building - 149 Eighth Avenue

Born in the Chelsea area of New York City on March 6, 1833, Rev. Stephen Merritt Jr. joined his father's undertaking business in the c...

Thursday, August 20, 2026

The 1926 Barclay Hotel - 111 East 48th Street

photograph by Ajay Suresh The renovation of Grand Central Depot to Grand Central Terminal sparked a burst of development in the neighborh...

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

The 1894 Elmendorf Reformed Chruch - 171 East 121st Street

photo by Anthony Bellov The Harlem Reformed Low Dutch Church was founded in 1660. Its third house of worship was erected on the northwest...

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

The 1899 Henry Schwarzwalder House - 24 West 76th Street

Real estate developer James Carlew erected five sumptuous, 25-foot-wide townhouses on West 76th Street between Central Park West and Colum...

Monday, August 17, 2026

The Lost Public School 177 - Market and Monroe Streets

photo by Jacob A. Riis from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York On November 22, 1898, the Board of Education's Minute...

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About Me

Tom Miller: Born in Dayton, Ohio, I relocated to New York city in 1978. An author, blogger, lecturer and historian, I have written the histories of more than 5,000 locations in Manhattan (as of March 2025). I am the author of "Seeking New York" and "Seeking Chicago," and contributed to several other books, and consulted for pieces in Architectural Digest, The New York Times, and similar publications..

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