The Architecture of Mott B. Schmidt

The townhouse originally built for Helen Baldwin and designed by Mott Schmidt could be diplomatically termed “understated” and, at worst, “uninteresting.” Four stories of red brick were highlighted only by two thin stone bandcourses and a pedimented centered doorway. While the neo-Georgian homes Schmidt designed for Anne Morgan and Anne Vanderbilt would soon steal the show on Sutton Place, the exterior of the Baldwin house drew little attention.

Lillie Havemeyer filled the house with period antiques and works of art. If the façade of the Havemeyer home was blasé, the interiors made up for it. Dry Goods Economist said of her “Mrs. Havemeyer, who was Miss Lillie Harriman, is a sister of Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. She is almost as well known as a connoisseur and a woman of taste as she is a leader of fashion.”