James B. Duke House

The James B. Duke House is a mansion at 1 East 78th Street, on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The building was designed by Horace Trumbauer, who drew heavily upon the design of Château Labottière in Bordeaux. Constructed between 1909 and 1912 as a private residence for businessman James Buchanan Duke and his family, the building has housed the New York University (NYU)'s Institute of Fine Arts since 1959.

James B. Duke House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0668
Location1 E. 78th St., Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°46′35″N 73°57′50″W
Area13,325 sq ft (1,237.9 m2)
Built1909–1912
ArchitectHorace Trumbauer
Architectural styleFrench Classical/Louis XV
NRHP reference No.77000956
NYSRHP No.06101.001688
NYCL No.0668
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 10, 1977
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980
Designated NYCLSeptember 15, 1970

The house has a limestone facade and was designed to look like a two-story structure from the street. An attic story is placed behind the balustrade on roof level. The house generally contains long windows and high ceilings and has a portico in the middle of the 78th Street facade. The interior of the first floor is designed in the French Classical style and consists of four large corner rooms, used as classrooms, which surround a main entrance hall. The second floor originally contained eight bedrooms while the third floor had servants' quarters; these later served respectively as a library and offices. The basement had service rooms, later converted into laboratories.

The James B. Duke House replaced the 1880s-era Henry H. Cook mansion. When Duke died in 1925, his wife Nanaline and daughter Doris continued to live in the house until 1958, when they donated the house to NYU. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 1 East 78th Street as an official landmark in 1970, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

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