This elegant limestone-fronted townhouse is probably the best of Schmidt's later urban residences. It was built for the attorney Walter Ewing Hope (1879-1948), of the firm of Masten & Nichols. He was a prominent New York Republican, an advisor to Herbert Hoover and later Secretary of the Treasury. In 1948 the house was sold to Maurice Wertheim (1886-1950), the investment banker and noted collector of modern French paintings. The plan employs Schmidt's typical tripartite formula, with a semi-circular stair in the center. Unfortunately, the original doorway of the house has been replaced with one of inferior design, considerably diminishing the character of the facade. After the Depression put a halt to development of this kind on the upper East Side, Schmidt's practice turned more toward country and suburban houses, commercial and small public buildings.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
New York Times / Streetscapes: How 7 Rear Yards Became a Secret Garden
Daytonian in Manhattan: The Walter E. Hope Mansion