Sutton House is a three-building residential cooperative with a private garden at 415 East 52nd Street on the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The building was designed by John M. Kokkins and Stephen C. Lyras in the modern style and was built by Kolyer Construction Corporation, originally as a luxury rental building managed by Douglas Elliman and owned by seven owners, including Kokkins, Lyras, Greek executive Manuel Kulukundis. The 19-floor building C faces East 53rd Street, and is technically therefore part of the Sutton Place neighborhood, while the 12-floor buildings A and B face East 52nd Street. Constructed between 1954 (when the building plot was acquired) and 1956, Sutton House was developed to be a "Symbol of town Living for Perfectionists"", per its marketing brochure found at Columbia University New York Real Estate Brochure Collection.
| Sutton House | |
|---|---|
 Sutton House in 2024 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Housing cooperative |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| Address | 415 East 52nd Street |
| Town or city | New York, NY |
| Country | US |
| Coordinates | 40°45′19″N 73°57′51″W / 40.75534°N 73.96423°W |
| Construction started | 1954 |
| Completed | 1956 |
| Inaugurated | February 1956 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 19 (building C) and 12 (A and B) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Kokkins and Lyras[1] |
| Other information | |
| Number of units | 289 (original) |
Prior to the construction of Sutton House, the site had been occupied by townhouses facing 52nd St, and by the Knickerbocker Ice Company ice house facing 53rd Street, since 1831[2]. Given that the Knickerbocker Ice company closed to the public in 1924, the area was not being utilized when construction started in 1954.
The three buildings are connected by a T-shaped glass walled lobby, approached through a landscaped entrance, facing 52nd St on the south. Open areas between the buildings are private parklike setting[3]. The complex features a 2-story 160-car garage facing 53rd street, for easy access from FDR Drive, and totals 290 apartments, from suites to 5-bedroom penthouses. Most of the apartments feature balconies, and some include fireplaces. Sutton House is a white brick building designed in the modernist period, a style share with the contemporaneous Manhattan House, which regained popularity in the 2010s.[4]
In November 1964, Chatham Associates purchased 76% of Sutton House, leaving 26% in the hands of Kulukundis.[5] At that point in time, Kulukundis, once a shipping magnate, was already bankrupt.[6] The purchasing company, Chatham Associates, was only a front for Alex DiLorenzo Jr., Sol Goldman's business partner.[7]
With DiLorenzo's death in 1975, Sol Goldman and Alex DiLorenzo 3rd (who inherited 74% of Sutton House from his late father), decided to split the old business partnership... with a coin flip. That said, there was a serious difference of opinion between the two about the value of Sutton House... which made Sutton House be sold in its entirety to Michael Kulukundis, for more than $7M. And with that, as of June 1979, Sutton House belonged entirely to Michael Kulukundis.[8] Later in 1979, as the New York Times reported during the trial of Anthony Scotto, the American New York mobster and labor union racketeer in the Gambino crime family, it become public that Kulukundis had sold 13% of the corporation owning Sutton House for $26, while this portion of the building had been assessed to be worth $6.1M, and to have been sold to Mr Scoto for $7.1M in May 1978.[9] On November 16m 1979, Mr Scotto sold his interest in the Sutton House Corporation.[10]
On January 8, 1980, Sutton House was converted from a rental building into a cooperative.
The French restaurant Le Périgord, owned by Georges Briget operated at Sutton House from 1964 until 2017.[11]
Site
editSutton House is located at 415 East 52nd Street on the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The 19-floor building C faces East 53rd Street, and is technically therefore part of the Sutton Place neighborhood, while the 12-floor buildings A and B face East 52nd Street.
Prior to the construction of Sutton House, the site had been occupied by townhouses facing 52nd St, and by the Knickerbocker Ice Company ice house facing 53rd Street, since 1831.[2] Given that the Knickerbocker Ice company closed to the public in 1924, the area was not being utilized when construction started in 1954.
References
edit- ^ "Sutton House, 415 E. 52 Street". The New York real estate brochure collection. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Plate 79, Part of Section 5, (1930)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Bradley, John A. (December 4, 1955). "Sutton House Buildings Joined By an Unusual Garden Entrance". New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Kaufman, Joanne (May 14, 2010). "Seeing White Brick Buildings in a New Light". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "EAST SIDE PARCEL IN COMPLEX DEAL; Kulukundis Interest Involved in Sale of Sutton House". The New York Times. November 20, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Manuel Kulukundis, Shipowner, Dies at 89". The New York Times. August 12, 1988. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Horsley, Carter B. (September 6, 1975). "Alex DiLorenzo Jr. Dies; Leader in Real Estate, 58". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Horsley, Carter B. (June 3, 1979). "The Goldman‐DiLorenzo Empire And the Toss of a Coin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Raab, Selwyn (November 2, 1979). "13% Part in Building On E. 52d Street Cost Scotto $26 to Acquire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Scotto's Dealings With Politicians Are Subject of New Investigations New Investigations Examining Scotto's Dealings With Politicians Providing Funds and Workers Advice on Port Position A Hand in Other Appointments Carey 'Encouraged'Departure Scotto on State Board 'Not a Cup of Coffee'Response to Rackets Allegations Relationship to Governor Role in Newspaper Strike Settlement Before Election Day Investigation of Fabber Leases With the City 'Higher Standards'in Effect Favorable Financial Terms". The New York Times. December 17, 1979. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (August 4, 2022). "Georges Briguet, Who Presided Over Le Périgord, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2024.