The James and Euphemia Russell House at 44 West 87th St: A ‘palatial residence’ with a refined Romanesque Revival design

Have you ever passed by an interesting residential building in New York City and wanted to know more about its history? In this series, Brick Underground teams up with Tom Miller, creator of Daytonian in Manhattan, a blog about Manhattan buildings and other historic architecture. Each week, we run an excerpt from the Daytonian’s archives with a link to the full article.

The development-construction firm Charles Buek & Co. was one of the most well-known firms in the industry. In 1891, the Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide reported that the firm was building six brick-and-limestone residences on the south side of 87th Street.

Completed in 1892, Nos. 40 through 50 West 87th St. were designed in a refined version of Romanesque Revival. No. 44 West 87th St. was 23 feet wide, and its basement and parlor levels were clad in rough cut limestone. A dog-legged box stoop mirrored that of its next door at No. 46. The two-story midsection was faced in brick. Grouped windows at the second floor were framed in limestone, distinguished by pilasters with ornate Corinthian capitals. The fourth floor sat atop an intricately carved cornice. 

James and Euphemia Russell purchased the mansion in February 1893 for $44,500. The couple had four children, Marguerite, George Dunlap, May Isabelle, and Rachel (known as Ray) MacMaster. The family's country home, Sunny Side, was near Mount Vernon, New York.

Described by The New York Times later as the Russells' "palatial residence," 44 West 87th St. was filled with valuable artwork and antiques. An inventory held in 1906 described "a valuable collection of oil paintings, comprising about one hundred canvases, many by prominent American and foreign artists." The parlor, or "salon," was furnished in "Marie Antoinette and Louis Seize," and the music room in Louis XVI.

Just two years after purchasing 44 West 87th St., James Russell died. The family left in 1902, although Euphemia retained possession. She leased the house for the winter social season of 1902 to author and playwright Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Born in 1848, Burnett had written the children's novel “Little Lord Fauntleroy” in 1886. She would later produce two other popular children's works, the 1905 “A Little Princess” and “The Secret Garden,” released in 1911.  

Euphemia Russell placed the house for sale in 1906 and it was sold to Dr. Abram Richard Stern and his wife, the former Stella Lichtenstein, in May.

The Sterns remained at 44 West 87th St. until September 1940, when they sold the house to Joseph Kamert for $40,000.  

It appears that Kamert rented rooms in the former mansion, and among his first tenant was Paul Bante. The 44-year-old iron worker was born in Germany, but was a naturalized American citizen. Bante was the subject of nationwide attention when The New York Times reported on July 1st, 1941 that he had been arrested as a member of a German spy ring. He and 32 others were indicted 15 days later, accused "of having acted as agents" for the Nazi government. The New York Sun reported on January 2nd, 1942, that he had been sentenced to 18 months in a federal penitentiary and a fine of $1,000.

A renovation completed in 2011 resulted in an office in the basement level and eight apartments on the upper floors.

For more on the property and the people that lived here, check out the full article.