Otto Kahn House

History and architecture

Built for Otto H. Kahn (1867-1934), banker, philanthropist and patron of the arts, this imposing residence, occupied since 1934 by The Convent of the Sacred Heart, was begun in 1913 and completed only in 1918, after the termination of World Mar I.

It was designed by the noted British architect, J. Armstrong Stenhouse, with C. P. H. Gilbert acting as associate architect. Upon its completion, the Kahn residence, located directly opposite the Carnegie -Mansion, was hailed by "The New York Times'' as a noteworthy addition to the Carnegie Hill area.

In its grand scale, distinguished design and superb construction, the Otto Kahn House is the finest Italian Renaissance style mansion in New York City.

It provided a gracious home for one of the best known financiers of the period and a splendid setting for his magnificent art collection. The dignity and restraint of its design arc an expression of the refined taste of the architect, reflecting the architectural traditions of the Italian High Renaissance.

Otto Kahn's role as patron of the arts is reflected in a citation by the Chamber of Commence, following Kahn's death, which compared his Fifth Avenue house and his country residence at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, with the palaces of the Medici.

Otto Kahn was born in Germany and was the son of a banker. He pursued this career, first in Germany and then in London before establishing himself in the United States in 1893.

Always active in musical affairs, he is best remembered for his bold fight to save the Metropolitan Opera Company of which he was chairman of the board: first in 1908, when he brought over Giulio Gatti-Casazza and Arturo Toscanini from La Scala in Milan--launching the period of the Metropolitan's greatest artistic success — and again in 1931, during the Depression, when he made a personal appeal for funds.

He was, in addition, a generous supporter of arts and culture. He was a backer of Eva LeGallienne's Civic Repertory Company and the Provincetown Playhouse; he was also responsible for bringing to America such avant-garde companies as Diaghilev's Russian Ballet, Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre, Max Reinhardt's Repertory Company and Messager's Orchestre du Conservatoire. Otto Kahn also served as a trustee of Rutgers, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Institute.

He was, at the time of his death, considered by many to be the greatest patron of the arts in the United States.