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Bailey House
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| Location: | 10 St. Nicholas Place, Hamilton Heights, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York |
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| Area: | less than one acre |
| Built: | 1886[1]; 1886-1888[2] |
| Architect: | Samuel B. Reed[1][2] |
| Architectural style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 80002668[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | April 23, 1980 |
The James Bailey House is a large freestanding house which resembles a castle, and which sits at 10 St Nicholas Place (the intersection of St. Nicholas Place and 150th Street) in Hamilton Heights, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York. The house was built 1886 to 1888 to the designs by architect Samuel Burrage Reed for James Bailey, most famous for his role as business manager of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.[3] As of 2010, the house is known as the M. Marshall Blake Funeral Home.[2] The house is located within the boundary of the Hamilton Heights / Sugar Hill Historic District.[2]
Among the house's numerous design features are numerous stained glass windows, designed by a cousin of Louis Comfort Tiffany. The interior is richly paneled in hand-carved timber.[3] The AIA Guide to New York City. (2010) described the building, built 1886-1888 as a "rock-faced granite, stylishly Dutch-gabled and corner-towered. Once it was a major mansion owned by circus entrepreneur Bailey, who joined with showman Phineas T. Barnum in 1881 to form the Barnum & Bailey Circus."[2]
In 1951, the house was purchased by a black woman, Marguerite Blake, who ran a mortuary from it until her retirement. In late 2008, she brought the house to market, seeking to sell it for $10 million. As of May 2009, it was being listed for $6.5 million.[4] On August 31, 2009 it was reported that the house sold for $1.4 million, which was only around $170 per square foot.