Houses at 208–218 East 78th Street, Renaissance Revival terrace houses in Upper East Side, Manhattan, United States
The Houses at 208-218 East 78th Street form a connected group of six brick rowhouses with Renaissance Revival style facades featuring rounded arch windows and doors trimmed with decorative keystones. Each three-story building is roughly 13 feet 4 inches (4 meters) wide and sits above a raised basement accessed by iron-railed entrance stairs.
Construction of these rowhouses occurred between 1861 and 1865 during the early growth phase when the Upper East Side was becoming established as a residential area for the middle and upper classes. They survived as remnants of a much larger original collection of similar structures from that building era.
These rowhouses display the architectural language that mid-19th-century New Yorkers favored, with their symmetrical brick facades and decorative stone details that signal wealth and stability. They reflect how residents wanted their homes to convey status and permanence in a rapidly growing neighborhood.
The rowhouses are located along East 78th Street and can be easily viewed while walking through the Upper East Side neighborhood. Since these are still private residences, they are best appreciated from the sidewalk without disrupting the current residents.
Originally this block contained 15 similar houses in a continuous row, but demolition over time left only this group of six standing as survivors. Their official landmark designation arrived decades after their initial construction, in recognition of their historical significance to the neighborhood.
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