History and architecture
The Nicholas C. and Agnes Benziger House is one of Harlem's last remaining freestanding mansions. Benziger, a Swiss emigre, was a successful publisher, manufacturer, and importer of books and articles used in Catholic worship. Designed by William Schickel, a prominent German-born architect, the house was built in 1890-91, when many picturesque villas were constructed along the eastern ridge of lower Washington Heights, overlooking the Bronx and the Harlem plain.
The building's eclectic style incorporates mostly medieval forms inspired by central European sources. Among the design's most notable features are the flared mansard roof, pierced by numerous gabled dormers, and the facade's richly-colored ironspot brickwork. In 1920, Dr. Henry W. Lloyd converted the house into a hospital. After World War H, a nursery school occupied the building, and later, it was used as a hotel. Since 1989, it has been owned by the Broadway Housing Development Fund Company, a non-profit organization providing permanent housing for formerly homeless adults.
Despite some alterations and additions to the exterior over the past century, much of the original historic fabric and landscape surrounding the house remains intact.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.