26-58 West 88th Street (New York City, New York)

 rowhouse, apartment building

A row of seventeen 4-story (plus raised basements) Renaissance-revival (with Romanesque and Gothic-revival elements) residential buildings completed together in 1889. Designed by Thom & Wilson, they are clad in brownstone and red brick.

No. 26 at the east end is fully clad in brownstone, and has its stoop replaced by a basement entrance on the right, down several steps from the sidewalk. It has a black wood-and-glass door and sidelight, and to the left is a tripartite window; separating the three windows are a pair of giant console brackets carved with shields and lions supporting the base of a 2-story projecting bay of three windows with angled sides. The pilasters framing the windows at the parlor floor are paneled with Renaissance ornament, with stylized capitals, and there are carved panels of fruit garlands and ribbons below the windows at both floors. A short, rounded metal roof caps the projecting bay. To the right the original parlor-floor entrance is replaced by a double-window between paneled pilasters with stylized capitals incorporating lions' heads, surmounted by geometric brackets with dual herringbone patterns that support an entablature and cornice, topped by a rounded, broken pediment. At the 2nd floor there is a round-arched window on the right. The 3rd floor has an interesting grouping of three windows in the center, the middle one extending lower, and two smaller windows at the ends, all five framed by paneled pilasters with a cornice across that top that is interrupted in the center by an arch with a carved face within it; square ornamental panels extend to the sides of the arch, with another cornice topping these. The 4th floor has three single-windows framed by thin pilasters; there are garlands at the tops of the piers between these windows, with yet another cornice across the top. The facade is crowned by a tall roof parapet with four simple pilasters separating three recessed geometric patterns.

No. 28, also fully clad in brownstone, has a basement entrance that matches No. 26, but the pilasters framing the parlor-floor window that replaces the original entrance are different. They have panels carved with foliate ornament and Ionic capitals above ribbed sections. The two basement windows, with iron grilles, have segmental-arches on top. The two parlor-floor windows on the left also have iron grilles, and they are framed by pilasters that match those around the double-window to the right, but not projecting. There are also carved panels below these windows and an ornamented band across the top, capped by a cornice. The top three floors have three bays of single-windows. On the 2nd floor they are framed by pilasters with fluting at the tops; an entablature runs across these, with rosettes and vertical lines, and a cornice. The 3rd floor has projecting surrounds with thin cornices, and the top floor has thinner, beveled surrounds. The facade is crowned by a simple roof parapet with a metal railing on top.

No. 30 is fully clad in brownstone and has its stoop replaced by a basement entrance on the right. It has a metal-framed glass door and sidelight. The projecting pilasters framing the window above (replacing the former parlor-floor entrance) combine the ornamented panels of the pilasters at No. 28 with the capitals at No. 26. Instead of a flat cornice, they carry a round-arch with a keystone; there is gently-etched ornament below the arch, and carved flowers and ribbons around the arch, with a cornice on top. The two basement windows to the left are set in circular moldings. They have iron grilles, as do the parlor-floor windows. The two tall windows on the left are separated by a fluted column with a stylized capital featuring a gargoyle; both windows are topped by round-arches with foliate ornament. Rising from the top of the columns is a ribbed, rounded base for a projecting bay of three windows with angled sides. There are paneled pilasters between the three windows and the projecting bay is capped by a short, rounded metal roof. To the right is a shorter single-window. The top two floors have three bays of single-windows, with simpler pilasters framing them. The roof parapet is similar to No. 28's, but with no railing on top.

No. 32, fully clad in brownstone, retains its dog-legged box stoop winding down and left from a parlor-floor entrance with dark-brown, paneled wooden double-doors below a transom. The side walls of the stoop have square cutouts, and the front is lightly banded, with a small rectangular opening at the base that has a metal grille. Down a couple steps to the left and behind the stoop are two basement windows with stone surrounds and iron grilles. A stone band with a row of incised squares sets off the parlor floor, which has a tripartite window with banded end pilasters with Corinthian capitals and thinner pilasters between the windows decorated with Renaissance ornament. A molded surrounds frames the doorway to the right, flanked at the top by narrow console brackets supporting an entablature carved with foliate ornament and a face, surmounted by a cornice. A taller band with a medallion flanked by garlands tops the tripartite windows, surmounted by another cornice. The 2nd floor has a round-arched windows above the entrance, flanked by simple projecting pilasters and topped by a herringbone keystone with foliate ornament around the arch, surmounted by a cornice. To the left are paired windows with end pilasters that are paneled at the lower halves and fluted at the upper halves; the thinner center pilaster has Renaissance ornament, and the windows are topped by a band with a wave motif and a cornice. A thin string course sets off the 3rd floor, which has two single-windows in the middle, with smaller end windows set up high; paneled pilasters frame the windows. A larger band with a wave motif tops the 3rd floor. The top floor has three bays of single-windows separated by fluted pilasters, and the facade is crowned by a stone cornice below a black metal roof cornice with brackets separating alternating rosettes and panels.

No. 34 is clad in red brick with brownstone trim above a brownstone basement and straight stoop. The stoop has round newel posts with carved ribbons, bows, and fruit. There are two basement windows with iron grilles to the left, and a round-arched basement entry in the side of the stoop. The parlor-floor entrance has paneled wooden double-doors, each with one glass pane, below a transom. They are framed by pilasters adorned with elaborate shields and female busts, topped by acathus leaf brackets carrying an entablature with foliate ornament, surmounted by a cornice and horizontal band with a row of incised squares. The brick piers to the left have brownstone banding and the two windows have stone surrounds and iron grilles. A large stone panel with three outlines spandrels that have a cross-hatch pattern separates the 2nd floor's tripartite window, which also has a stone surround and fluted pilasters between the windows. It is topped by a cornice with a rounded pediment at the center. To the right is a single-window lined with stone quoins and topped by a cornice. The top two floors have three bays of single-windows. There are quoins around the 3rd-floor windows, with rounded pediments above the outer bays and a triangular pediment over the middle bay. There are brownstone statues serving as pilasters between the top floor's window bays, and the facade is crowned by a black metal roof cornice - the center section projects out slightly, with three panels at the lower sections.

No. 36 is clad in red brick with brownstone trim, above a brownstone parlor floor, basement, and box stoop. The stoop winds down and left from a parlor-floor entrance and matches the stoop at No. 32. Behind and to its left are two basement windows with iron grilles in segmental-arched surrounds. There is a gated basement entry in the side of the stoop. The main entrance has paneled wooden double-doors each with a single glass pane, below a transom. They are flanked by square, projecting pilasters with vertical grooves and stylized capitals; extensions of the pilasters with Renaissance ornament frame the transom, and carry an entablature with rosettes at the ends and foliate ornament across the middle, surmounted by a cornice and panel with a garland, flowers, and ribbons that curves inwards at the sides and forms a base to the 2nd-floor single-window above. This window has a stone enframement with fluted pilasters at the sides, a round-arch on top, and a cornice with an ornamented pediment. To the left of the main entrance are two single-windows with iron grilles, drip moldings at the tops, a wave motif below, and a pier in between that is rough-faced on its lower half, and has an oversized acanthus leaf bracket at the upper half, supporting the base of a projecting, 3-sided brownstone bay at the 2nd floor. There are carved panels below each window, and a cornice and short, rounded metal roof on top. The 3rd & 4th floors have a triple-window on the left, and a single-window on the right. There is stone banding flanking the window bays on the left side of the 2nd & 3rd floors, where the piers project just slightly from the west part of the facade. These piers have stylized stone capitals at the 3rd floor, where there are brownstone pilasters between the three windows, with a stone lintel and cornice above. The single-window on this floor has a bowl-shaped brownstone sill. The top floor is set off by a band of brick with rectangular stone panels at each window, and a stone string course along the top edge of the band. Brownstone pilasters frame all three of the triple-windows at the 4th floor, with a lintel across the top. The facade is crowned by a black metal roof cornice with a double dentil course, brackets, and - on the left - a sloped, black slate shingle roof.

No. 38 is clad in red brick with brownstone trim above a brownstone basement and wide, straight stoop on the right. The rounded newel posts are adorned with bows and fruit bunches. To the left are two basement windows with iron grilles, and there is a basement entry with a metal door in the side of the stoop. The parlor-floor entrance has paneled, black wooden double-doors and a transom, framed by projecting stone pilasters lined with a leafy pattern up the center, interrupted by horizontal banding. The cornice above the doorway is surmounted by an incised horizontal panel with a smaller cornice. The tripartite window to the left of the main entrance has a brownstone enframement, including around the separate transoms (which have stained-glass), and is topped by a seashell at the center pane. The three main windows have iron grilles that bow out towards the bottoms. The upper floors are all underlined by string courses and have three bays of single-windows. At the 2nd floor they have quoined brownstone surrounds and in between the 2nd & 3rd floors are stone panels with Renaissance ornament. At the top two floors the bays are separated by slightly-projecting brick piers with stone banding. Simpler stone spandrel panels separate the top two floors, with a sunburst carved on the middle panel. The facade is crowned by a black metal roof cornice, the lower part of which projects out around the piers.

No. 40 is clad fully in brownstone. The stoop has been replaced by a basement entrance on the right, with a glass door and sidelight down a few steps from the sidewalk, in a dark-grey granite surround. There are two windows to the left with iron grilles. The former parlor floor has three bays of single-windows, with pilasters paneled with Renaissance ornament framing the outer two (they are wider on the east side), and thinner, fluted pilasters around the center window, from which spring acanthus-leaf console brackets that carry the base of a projecting, 3-sided bay at the center of the next floor, with ribbing above and below a narrow band of leafy ornament. The projecting bay is capped by a cornice and parapet with ornamented panels and another cornice. On either side of the projecting bay is the projecting outline of a rectangle panel. The next floor has a tripartite window with fluted pilasters; on either side is a large quatrefoil with compass-point keystones resembling a Celtic cross carved on the facade. The top floor has three bays of single-windows with beveled surrounds, and the facade is crowned by a black metal roof cornice with dentils and brackets separating panels of rosettes, garlands, and sunbursts.

No. 42 is clad in white-painted stone. The stoop has been replaced by a basement entrance on the right, down a few steps from the sidewalk. It has black wood-and-glass double-doors with a horizontal marble panel above them. To the left are two single-windows set in enframements with rounded corners; they have iron grilles and are separated by a pilaster with a large console bracket adorned by a lion, supporting the rounded base of a projecting 2-window bay above. The base is decorated with ribbons and fruit garlands, and the two angled windows are framed by paneled pilasters, with a center pilaster bearing the bust of a Roman god topped by a reverse scrolled bracket. A short, rounded, copper roof tops the projecting bay. To the right the original parlor-floor entrance is replaced by a French window set in a wide, shallow arch. It is framed by flanked by oversized acanthus-leaf console brackets with wolf-like heads at the tops; they carry an entablature over the arch that has foliate ornament and a cornice. The top three floors have three bays of single-windows, the center ones slightly wider. The piers at the 2nd floor are banded, with Corinthian capitals, and the windows are topped by round-arches with lightly incised ornament and scale keystones. The paneled piers at the 3rd floor have similar capitals, and the spandrel between the top two floors has simple panels at each bay, alternating with roundels at the piers. The top floor has narrower paired pilasters framing each bay, with roundels at the top of each. The facade is crowned by a black metal roof cornice with brackets, garlands, and rosettes.

No. 44 is fully clad in brownstone. Its box stoop matches the others in the row, and the parlor-floor entrance has wood-framed double-doors of wrought-iron-and-glass below a fanlight. The upper part of the entrance and the wide single-window on the left are both encompassed within circular enframements with small ornamental swirls where they abut the openings. In the center is a small, pointed-arch window, the arch lined by a drip molding with matching ornament swirls. The short pier sections between the bays have rough-faced stone fronts, and there are elaborate panels of Renaissance ornament below the two windows. Above the small center window, the rounded base of a projecting, round, 3-window bay is supported by a bracket with a bearded face wearing a wolf's head and pelt head hat. The three windows in the curved, projecting bay have smaller circular enframements at the upper parts, and a short copper roof with a rounded edge caps this bay. On either side rough-faced quoins extend through the 2nd floor and halfway up the 3rd floor, which has two single-windows surrounded by large circular moldings with a small lion's head where they meet in the center. The areas to the outside of these circles is filled with a crosshatch pattern, and there is a small flourish of foliate ornament in the space above and between. The top floor is set off by a string course with a row of projecting rosettes, and has three bays of single-windows. The partially-projecting piers around the bays narrow slightly at their tops, with distinctive stylized capitals; above each window is a round-arch with a simple and delicate cloud-shaped decoration. The facade is crowned by a black metal roof cornice with two rows of ribs and brackets.

No. 46 matches the design of No. 42, but is painted brown. It also retains its wide, straight stoop on the right, leading up to a parlor-floor entrance with wood-framed glass double-doors and a fanlight. The stoop matches the other straight stoops in the row and has a basement entry in its side. The basement and parlor-floor windows have iron grilles. There is a pediment at the center of the roof cornice.

No. 48 is clad in brownstone and matches No. 40 with a couple of exceptions. It retains its original box stoop that matches others in the row, leading up to a parlor-floor entrance with wood-framed glass double-doors and a transom. At the 2nd floor the rectangular panel outline to the right of the central projecting bay has been replaced by a single-window, as has the western quatrefoil ornament at the 3rd floor.

No. 50 is clad in red-painted brick with white-painted stone trim above dark-brown painted brick floor and dark-brown painted stone basement level. The stoop has been replaced by a basement entrance on the right, down a few steps from the sidewalk. It has a paneled wooden door and a sidelight slightly recessed and next to a dividing wall from the neighboring building to the west. The former parlor-floor entrance is replaced by a wide single-window with an iron grille. To the left is a tripartite window with separate transom panes. The upper floors have three bays of single-windows and originally matched No. 38, but much of the ornament has been altered or removed. There are stone quoins around the 2nd-floor windows and banded brick piers at the 3rd & 4th floors. The metal roof cornice is painted green.

No. 52 is clad in pale orange-red brick on the upper floors and light-brown painted brownstone on the lower levels. The design matches that of No. 36, with a box stoop and parlor-floor entrance. The stone trim on the upper floors is also painted light-brown. The roof cornice has been removed, leaving a bare parapet.

No. 54 is clad in brown-painted brick (with a brownstone basement level), and originally matched No. 34. The stoop has been replaced by a basement entrance on the right, with a metal-framed glass door and sidelights down several steps from the sidewalk. The original parlor-floor entrance is replaced by a narrow double-window and all the basement and parlor-floor windows have iron grilles. At the 2nd floor, the east bay is been replaced by a projecting, rounded black iron bay with five narrow windows wrapping around it. This bay has a ribbed base and panels around the bottom and top. The upper floors retain their original design, with a black metal roof cornice.

No. 56 is painted grey-brown and matches the design of No. 32. The parlor-floor entrance has wood-and-glass double-doors below a transom. At the top two floors the windows have shallow iron railings fronting their bases. The black metal roof cornice has brackets framing alternating rosettes and panels, but unlike No. 32 it is then topped by an upper section with two garlands in the middle and scrolls at the sides, curving up to the flat center section.

No. 58 at the west end is painted beige and matches the design of No. 30. It retains its straight stoop on the right, and parlor-floor entrance with wood-and-glass double-doors and transom. The small single-window to the right of the 2nd floor's projecting bay has a hooded lintel topped by a small, scrolled pediment. The roof cornice is painted a bright, light turquoise color.

Nos. 32 and 48 remain single-family townhomes, while the others have been divided into apartments. No. 38 now houses the International Student Center youth hostel, with 40 beds in a dormitory-style setting.