Duke Family New York Apartments collection, 1908-1997

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Summary

Creator:
Duke family
Abstract:
J.B. Duke acquired a lot on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 78th Street and commissioned Horace Trumbauer to draw the plans for a new residence in 1909. It was in this mansion that his daughter Doris was born and raised. After J.B.'s death in 1925, Nanaline continued to live in the mansion until January, 1958 when she and Doris donated the house to New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. Throughout her adulthood Doris continued to live in New York City, residing in a penthouse located at 3 E. 84th Street and a penthouse at 475 Park Avenue, which was her last New York City residence when she died in 1993. The collection primarily documents the expenses and daily operations of running and maintaining three large residences in New York City. Materials include invoices and receipts for repairs and renovations to the residences, correspondence and memoranda relating to routine matters of the residences including expenses, inventories of furniture, fixtures, and other household items, and appraisals of the residences and their household effects. A majority of the architectural records in this collection are related to the design and construction of J.B. Duke's mansion at 1 E. 78th Street.
Extent:
2.6 Linear Feet
approx. 1,200 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01435

Background

Scope and content:

The Duke Family New York Apartments Collection (formerly NYM, NYA84, and NYA) is part of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives which were donated to the Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. This collection consists of three record groups that were intentionally assembled due to the similarity of the subject. The collection spans the years 1908 to 1997, beginning with the design and construction of James B. Duke's mansion at 1 E. 78th Street and ending with the maintenance and general upkeep of Doris Duke's 475 Park Avenue apartment after her death. The collection is arranged in three series by purchase date: New York Mansion (1 E. 78th Street), New York Apartment (3 E. 84th Street, Penthouse), and New York Apartment (475 Park Avenue, Penthouse B). Each of the series has an Administrative Records sub series; however the New York Mansion and 475 Park Avenue Penthouse both have an Architectural Records sub series. The collection primarily documents the expenses and daily operations of running and maintaining three large residences in New York City. Administrative records for all three series generally include invoices and receipts for repairs and renovations to the residences, correspondence and memoranda relating to routine matters of the residences including expenses, inventories of furniture, fixtures, and other household items, and appraisals of the residences and their household effects. A majority of the architectural records in this collection are related to the design and construction of J.B. Duke's mansion at 1 E. 78th Street. The materials in this collection are arranged loosely in chronological order.

Biographical / historical:

Although James B. Duke preferred his countryside residence of Duke Farms (located in the township of Hillsborough, New Jersey) to that of a bustling metropolis, the newly married Mrs. J.B. (Nanaline) Duke enjoyed the many social aspects of living in New York City. As such, J.B. acquired a lot on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 78th Street and commissioned Horace Trumbauer to draw plans for the new residence in 1909. It was in this mansion that his daughter Doris was born and raised. After J.B.'s death in 1925, Nanaline continued to live in the mansion until January, 1958 when she and Doris donated the house to New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. Throughout her adulthood Doris continued to live in New York City (oftentimes splitting her time between New York and her several other homes), residing in a penthouse located at 3 E. 84th Street and a penthouse at 475 Park Avenue, which was her last New York City residence when she died in 1993.

Acquisition information:
Materials in the Duke Family New York Apartments Collection were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a donation from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in June 2009.
Processing information:

Processed by Mary Samouelian, August 2010

Encoded by Mary Samouelian, August 2010

Accession UA2009-0030 is described in this finding aid.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
Architecture -- Designs and plans
Names:
New York City. Institute of Fine Arts
Duke family
Duke family
Architectural drawing -- New York (State)
Duke, Doris
Trumbauer, Horace, 1869-1938
Duke, James Buchanan, 1856-1925
Places:
New York (N.Y.)

Contents

Using These Materials

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Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Digital use copies in this collection have been migrated to a library server and can only be accessed onsite in the Rubenstein Library Reading Room. To request access please contact Research Services prior to visiting the library.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Duke Family New York Apartments Collection, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.