312 and 314 East 53rd Street

312 and 314 East 53rd Street are two wooden buildings standing side by side, each with three stories, mansard roofs, and dormer windows along the facade. Both houses display French Second Empire and Italianate architectural features from their era.

These two houses were built between 1865 and 1866 by Robert and James Cunningham, just before New York City banned wooden construction in the area. They were completed during a transition period when wooden buildings were becoming rare in the city.

Lincoln Kirstein, who founded New York City Ballet, and writer Edmund Wilson both lived in these houses in the early 1900s. These buildings sheltered influential artists and thinkers who shaped Manhattan's cultural life.

The two houses sit between First and Second Avenue in the Turtle Bay neighborhood and are clearly visible from the street. Since they are in an active residential area, it is best to visit during daytime when the surroundings are most lively.

These houses are the last remaining wooden structures on Manhattan's East Side north of 23rd Street and are therefore protected as landmarks. Their survival shows how rare authentic mid-19th century wooden architecture is in this area.