History and architecture
Red House, an exceptionally handsome apartment building, located at 350 West 85th Street near the southeast corner of West 85th Street and Riverside Drive, was built in 1903-04. An early building designed by the firm of Harde & Short, Red house takes its name from the color of the brick facing, which is set off by an abundant use of light-colored terracotta ornament. The architects, Herbert S. Harde and Richard Thomas Short, were well known for their deluxe early twentieth-century New York apartment buildings, which included the Studio, Alwyn Court, and the 45 East 66th Street apartment building--all New York City Landmarks.
The detailing introduced on Red house, including the use of the salamander and crown motif, haldacchino canopies, and windows with multi-paned sashes organized in hays, were again used by Harde L Short in other apartment houses. This ornamentation recalls the sixteenth-century stole of Francois in its combination of Gothic and Renaissance elements.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.