History and architecture
The residence at 520 West End Avenue, commissioned by developer Richard G. Piatt in 1892 and completed that same year for cotton broker John B. Leech and his wife Isabella, is an early, and within the context of his career, an unusual work of architect Clarence F. True. A seminal figure in establishing the initial architectural character of the Upper West Side, True was particularly active in the development and design of rowhouses and town houses in the area west of Broadway during the years 1890 to 1901.
The Leech residence, originally a large single-family town house, was built during the first period of development of West End Avenue, when it was lined with distinguished residences for prosperous New Yorkers. In the bold form of its rusticated sandstone base, the complex massing of its tan Roman ironspot brick upper stories (now painted), the subtle handling and richness of its carved stone details of Romanesque, Gothic, and Elizabethan derivation, and decorative wrought-ironwork, it is a fine example of the diverse picturesque, eclectic architecture of the late 19th century which once characterized West End Avenue as one of New York City's most desirable residential avenues.
Its corner site, allowing for two principal designed facades linked by a curved corner bay, both enhances the prominence and integrity of its original architectural elements and emphasizes its status as one of the most significant surviving individually-designed large town houses on the Upper West Side.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.