This brief video regarding the Clark Mansion will give you a taste of what to expect on the Fifth Avenue Tour.
At the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th, New York City’s population was exploding, and the rich were moving uptown to escape the commercial activity that was creeping northward across Manhattan. As a result, a flurry of building caused numerous mansions to rise one after another along Fifth Avenue, opposite Central Park.
The postcard view above demonstrates the appearance of Fifth Avenue north from 59th Street in 1906.
Further uptown, the land was still vacant and some was covered by shacks and squatters. Andrew Carnegie bought land at the end of the 19th Century that looked like this:
Carnegie was smart enough to buy the land on either side of the place where he wanted to build so he could control his neighbors. Eventually, he built his mansion, now the Cooper-Hewett Museum.
And he sold the land on either side along Fifth Avenue. Financier Otto Kahn built his mansion to the north of Carnegie:
And the Church of the Heavenly Rest built its house of worship to the south of Carnegie.
In those days, the Fifth Avenue Stagecoach transported travelers. Below is a picture taken in front of the Lenox Library at 71st Street.
Today, most of the mansions and other buildings that once lined Fifth Avenue have been torn down and replaced by large apartment buildings. For example, the Lenox Library at 71st Street was torn down to build the Henry Clay Frick mansion.
However, a few of the magnificent buildings have survived. The Fifth Avenue Then And Now Tour will introduce you to the mansions that remain from 71st Street north to 94th, show you photographs of the way the surrounding area appeared when they were first built, and will also highlight some of the beautiful mansions that are gone forever.
If you are interested in history and enjoy looking at beautiful buildings, you will love this tour.
We can also provide private tours of Central Park and elsewhere in New York City to meet your individual needs. Contact us for rates and availability. We will respond promptly. Group rates are available