Otto H. Kahn House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Otto H. Kahn House was the New York City residence of financier and philanthropist, Otto H. Kahn.
Kahn, senior partner in the investment bank, Kuhn, Loeb and Co. and known as the King of New York, retained the renowned architectural team of J. Armstrong Stenhouse and Cass Gilbert to design the 80-room neo-Italian renaissance building. The mansion, which was completed in 1918, is modeled after the palazzo della Cancelleria of the Papal Chancellery in Rome.
It took four years to construct the mansion which boasts up to 80 rooms, in addition to living quarters for 40 servants, making it among the largest and finest private homes in America. Despite its imposing size, the rooms have been described as intimate.
Both Kahn and his wife, Adelaide, were connoisseurs of art and music. An extensive and important art collection graced their walks, dazzling their guests.
Kahn, whose true love was music, was a major patron of the New York Metropolitan Opera. Enrico Caruso and George Gershwin were among their many famous friends, who were often known to give impromptu performances at the mansion.
Following Kahn's death in 1934, the house was sold to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private, all-girls school. In 1974, it was declared a landmark, by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
