97 Second Avenue | Block : 461 | Lot #30

Description & Building Alterations

This six-story tenement was designed in 1903 by Sass & Smallheiser. The original owner was Braveman, Silverson & Sandow. The brick and terra cotta building features decorative wrought-iron fire escape, multi-story oriel, terra cotta bands at the second story, quoins, projecting window sills in a continuous band at the second, third, and sixth story, elaborate lintels at the south bays, and splayed lintels with scrolled keystones at the north bays. Alterations include replacement storefront with box awnings.

A former building at 97 Second Avenue housed the Hospital for the Relief of the Ruptured and Crippled from 1863 until 1870. This institution, the first and only orthopaedic hospital of its kind in the United States, later came to be known as the Hospital for Special Surgery. 97 Second Avenue was also the home of the hospital’s founder, James Knight. A young physician from Maryland, Knight developed the hospital in the midst of the Civil War with the support of prominent contemporary New Yorkers. Upon establishing the organization, Knight leased his residence and furnished it with 28 inpatient beds for children. The history of the institution, characterized by exceptional nursing care, showcases the evolution of the nursing profession from the 19th century to the present day.