179 East 73rd Street Building

History and architecture

The 177-179 East 73rd Street Building is a fine example of the type of commercial garage built in New York City during the early years of the 20th century, at a time when automobiles were beginning to supplant horses and carriages as the primary mode of private urban transportation. The garage was designed in 1906 in the fashionable Beaux-Arts style by Charles F. Hoppe for the Automobile Realty Co. With its bold massing and detailing, the building reflects a sophistication of design unusual for a utilitarian structure.

The building at No. 177-179 is a component of the rare surviving group of carriage houses, stables, and garages built on East 73rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenue to serve the wealthy families who lived on or near Fifth Avenue. The garage is the only building on the street designed specifically for automobiles. Most of the buildings on East 73rd Street are private carriage houses and stables that were converted to garages and chauffeur's residences in the early years of the 20th century. Only the wealthiest urban residents could afford to maintain a private carriage house or garage. Others rented space in commercial establishments such as the stable at 182 East 73rd Street (converted to a garage in 1908) or the garage at No. 177-179.

The carriage houses, stables, and garages were built on streets that were convenient to the East Side mansions, but were not so close that their noises and smells would mar the exclusive character of the residential streets. A few of these buildings were erected between Madison and Park Avenues, but most were constructed on the less elegant streets east of Park Avenue. Like many streets on the Upper East Side, East 73rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues was initially developed in the 1860s with modest Italianate style residences. Most of these houses were replaced as the block became a prime site for carriage houses; only two of the original rowhouses (Nos. 171 and 175) survive.