The Leonard Jerome Mansion

The Leonard Jerome mansion was the home of financier Leonard Jerome, whose daughter became the mother of Winston Churchill. The mansion, the first of it's kind compared to the surrounding dowdy brownstones, featured a ballroom over the carriages, a 27-seater breakfast room, a dining room that could hold 100 people and a movie theater that could hold 600 people.

The carriage house was built first and the family lived there while the house was under construction. It was one of the grandest homes along Madison Avenue, costing $200,000.

The Jerome's entertained very frequently and lavishly at the mansion. One Jerome ball cost $300,000 and featured guests dressed as Bible figures. Despite their simple costumes, most of the guests felt the need to down themselves with thousands of dollars in gems. 1,000 bottles of wine were consumed that night and the dinner featured 10 courses. 

When Jerome moved uptown, the mansion was sold and housed a series of private clubs including the Manhattan Club, a bastion of Democratic politicians such as Grover Cleveland, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Alfred E. Smith.

The building was given landmark status in 1965, but when the owner was unable to find a buyer for it after two years, it was permitted to be torn down in 1967, to be replaced by the New York Merchandise Mart.

The Mansion in 1967

Photos Courtesy of Private Collections, Click HERE For More