Benini UN Mission

 diplomatic / foreign mission / representation  Add category

4-story (plus raised basement) Neo-Classical diplomatic mission originally completed as a townhouse in 1865. It was significantly altered in 1926-27 to the designs of architect Herbert Lucas for then-owner Mr. & Mrs. Harry J. Harper, at which time a penthouse and elevator were installed; a 2-story rear carriage house was also incorporated into the design. The Harpers occupied the house a through at least 1934. In 1952 The American Institute of Management announced it had purchased the Harper mansion to use for its national headquarters. By 2013 the house had become home to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Benin to the United Nations.

It is clad in masonry covered with white pigmented cement stucco. The main entrance is centered on the south facade on 38th Street, with a paneled wooden door framed by fluted pilasters, topped by a broken pediment and cartouche, with a projecting flagpole. There is a lighting fixture on either side. A band course extending to the west and east separates the low basement level, which has two low window openings on either side, with iron grilles. The first floor has a tall, round-arched window on either side of the entrance with wrought-iron rails and keystones. The 2nd & 3rd floors have three single-windows with molded lintels and keystones. In between these, the 2nd floor has two small oval windows. Above the outer bays the 4th floor is set back behind a pair of short balustrades; the non-recessed middle section has a window topped by a curved lintel with a keystone.

The east facade on the avenue has a basement entrance on the right, with a wooden door down a few steps. To its left is a wide triple-window with iron grille. Above the basement level the middle of the facade has a tall round-arched window with a railing, molded surround, and keystone. To its right is a smaller, square-headed window above the basement entry. The 2nd & 3rd floors have a narrow window at the north end, and a wider window near the center, with molded lintels and keystones. There is also a small diamond-shaped window between the other 2nd-floor windows. Above a band course, the 4th floor has smaller windows, with curved lintels and keystones. There is a metal railing at the roof line.

The 2-story (plus basement) extension at the west end has a low, wide basement window with iron grille, and a large window opening at the 1st floor with an iron rail, and a molded sill and lintel. The attic floor has a large, segmental-arched window extending up into a copper-clad mansard roof featuring a pair of circular dormers.