History and architecture
The building at 3 East 95th Street was built between 1913 and 1921 as a New York version of a Louis XVI Parisian house. This dignified residence, executed in the best tradition of 18th-century French Classicism, is considered one of the finest examples of this style in New York City.
The composition and proportions of this elegant four-story house are extremely well organized and express the consummate skill of the architect Horace Trumbauer.
Trumbauer is noted as the designer of many fine town houses including the James B. Duke mansion, now the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, a designated New York City Landmark.
The house was commissioned by Mrs. Amory S. Carhart. Unfortunately, Mrs. Carhart and her husband never lived there. Mrs. Carhart died in 1919, work was stopped on the house by February 1, and the property was sold to Clarence H. Mackay of Roslyn, New York, in September. The house was not completed until August 1921, and in 1937 it was purchased by the Lycee Francais, an educational institution advancing French culture, history, and language.
The Lycee Francais de New York, known as the French Baccalaureate School, was founded in October 1935. It is a non-profit institution, incorporated by the Regents of the University of the State of New York and accredited by the French Ministry of National Education.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.