Wolcott Apartments, ca. 1905.

Constructed between 1902 and 1904 in an ornate Beaux-Arts style, the Wolcott was a popular residence given its proximity to transportation hubs as well as centers of entertainment, business, and shopping. Designed by John H. Duncan (who also created Grant's Tomb and Soldiers’ and Sailor’s Memorial Arch in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza) the 12-story H-plan building is faced in pink brick and limestone and topped by a deep copper-covered mansard. Housing both temporary and more long term residents, the hotel's guests included Isadora Duncan, Doris Duke, Edith Wharton, Henry Miller, and Buddy Holly. It also hosted a number of prominent cultural and political events: the 1914 purchase of the NY Yankees and the 1938 inaugural ball of Mayor La Guardia.