Located half a block from Fifth Avenue, this tiny jewel of a townhouse is an unusual variation on Schmidt's planning formula. Using the full 25 foot width of the house for the main rooms, he divided the plan into three equal sections from front to back, placing his trademark stair in the center. The program was compact enough to allow just two rooms per floor, front and back: the splendid entry hall on the ground floor, a drawing room and dining room on the "parlor" level, and a library and bedchamber above. The facade conceals, at the ground floor level, a service door disguised as a window, while the doorway opens on the right side of the formal entrance hall. The delicate limestone doorway with leaf capitals and the diminutive scale of the facade give it an appropriate air of femininity. This house contains the finest extant interiors of any Schmidt commission, almost unchanged from the day it was built. The major rooms follow decorative themes based on the work of Robert Adam, with plaster executed by C.P. Jennewein and stone work rivaling the best craftsmanship of its time.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Daytonian in Manhattan: The 1927 Emily Trevor House
New York Sun: A Curious Collection