973 Fifth Ave

> THE ARCHITECT: STANFORD WHITE No other architect dominated the Gilded Age to the extent of Stanford White of the esteemed firm of McKim, Mead & White. > For almost 30 years, from 1879 to 1912, the firm was the architect of choice for the most glorious projects of the day: a redesign of The White House, Pennsylvania Station and the Century and Metropolitan Clubs in New York, the Boston Public Library - and the creative genius at the pinnacle of the firm was Stanford White. > His residential clients were the most prestigious families of the time - Villard, Vanderbilt, Whitney, Pulitzer - but his last designs were the Henry Cook house, 973 Fifth Avenue, and its neighbor, the Payne Whitney house, completed in 1907. > With the design impact of a Renaissance master, White's patrons sought his taste not only in the architecture of their homes but also in choosing the furnishings, paneling, tapestries, art, landscaping and even the planning of the grand social events that would be held there. THE RESIDENCE Unlike other mansions located on side streets, this house sits directly on Fifth Avenue, with all floors facing directly into Central Park. > Perfectly positioned on today's Gold Coast, this is the only mansion available for sale with a Fifth Avenue address. > Designed in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style, it is remarkable that the building still possesses all the interior detail placed there by Stanford White, true to the original floor plan. > Encompassing approximately 13,775 total square feet on six levels plus a full height lower level of approximately 2,900 square feet, this mansion is unique in possessing an incomparable historical and artistic provenance, one that can never be duplicated. > It is truly a home for the ages. ORIGINAL OWNER: HENRY COOK Henry Cook, who originally owned the entire block of Fifth to Madison Avenues, from East 79th to East 78th Streets, limited the height of all buildings with deed restrictions that persist to this day. > His country mansion, "Wheatleigh" in Lenox, Mass, resembled an Italian Villa and was deemed "one of the most beautiful country estates in the Berkshires." Cook originally lived on Fifth Avenue at the corner of East 78th Street while he waited for his new Stanford White residence to be completed. > At the time of his death, James B. > Duke bought that home, 1 East 78th Street, and engaged Horace Trumbauer to erect the stately mansion that stands at that location today. > Henry Cook's daughter, Georgie, inherited the new Stanford White mansion at 973 Fifth Avenue, "Wheatleigh", the Cook stables at 103 East 77th Street and several thoroughbred horses.