La Roche Mansion, 1931.

Built in the 1840s, the mansion was constructed for Horace Whittmore, a wealthy merchant. Later the home was owned by the chief lawyer for Erie Railroad, a man named Joseph La Roque. A 1935 New York Times article described the white, column-fronted (and backed) home with cupola as having an "antebellum style... creating a Southern plantation air." Though the mansion was demolished in either 1963 or 1965 (sources differ), a number of architectural details of the home were saved and are in the collection at the Metropolitan Museum. The wall paneling, ceiling medallion, and fireplace mantel are currently on view in a period room in the American Wing (Gallery 739).