History and architecture
Subdued charm and warm mellowness pervade these three-story red brick houses with painted stone trim at 163 and 165 East 78th Street. Standing next to three other row houses and sharing a party wall with their neighbors, these two residences and the adjacent dwellings to the west were built with modifications from one set of architectural drawings and specifications in 1861. They are in the vernacular of the period and reveal an Italianate influence in the style of the windows and especially in the modillions and ornate brackets of the cornice, which crowns these residences. In uniformity of size and quality of design these houses, and their three adjoining neighbors, add color, character and dignity to Seventy-eighth Street.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.