Alfred E. Smith House
- Year
- 1880
- Style
- Victorian
- City
- Manhattan, NY
The Alfred E. Smith House, a rowhouse at 25 Oliver Street in the Two Bridges section of Lower Manhattan, was probably built in the late 19th century and was home to Alfred E. Smith from 1907 to 1923 — the four-time New York governor and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
the building
A modest brick rowhouse. The house is a three-story, three-bay-wide brick rowhouse crowned by a modillioned cornice, with its entrance in the right bay topped by a transom window and corniced entablature. Inside, original Victorian details survive, including tile floors and a stairway newel post, alongside alterations likely made during Smith's residence, such as glass-windowed doors between the hall and front parlor.
the style
The house is built in a Victorian idiom typical of rowhouses from roughly 1870 to 1890, though its facade is otherwise architecturally unremarkable — its significance rests on who lived here rather than on design.
significance
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on the strength of its association with Alfred E. Smith rather than architectural distinction.
nearby
- Saint James Roman Catholic Church
- Mariner's Temple
- New York Public Library, Chatham Square Branch
- Edward Mooney House
- New York County Courthouse
- United States Courthouse