Marching through Georgia....

 

My great great grandfather, Wm. Tecumseh Sherman, lived at #75 W. 71^st Street from 1888 or 9  until his death.  Somewhere on the internet my amateur historian brother-in-law found a drawing of the house as it looked at that time, one of those noble Victorian jobs, with a curved walkway leading to the high stoop (three steps up, landing, turn right, maybe six steps up to the front door.  There is a basement floor with two barred windows and there are four stories above.  The windows on the entrance level are taller than those on the three higher floors, if the drawing is accurate. This is for sure not the building at number 75 W. 71^st at present.  Trying to match the drawing to the remaining  houses of the period, we suspect that the house may not even even have been on the north side of the street, as the odd numbers are now.  Can you tell me which house was the General’s, if it still stands or even if it doesn’t, and when and why the renumbering occurred?

 

There was an address change on the block - I confirm that what was 75 West 71st in 1890 was, by 1893 (and today), 61 West 71st.  Changed for reasons unknown, usually the change is upnumbering, to accomodate increased number of houses in row at lower numbers.  The house at 61 West 71st was demolished 1924 for apartment house on the site.   Landmarks records suggest that 61 West 71st was built in 1887 as part of the row 61-73 West 71st, of which 67-73 still survive - perhaps they could provide a match?   

 

Christopher Gray
"Streetscapes" Columnist, Sunday Real Estate Section, The New York Times