The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-12
Del Drago House onFifth
Avenue Gives Place to
Club-Crand Onion
and Victoria Hotels to
Subway and Trade I'M
provements-F or mer
Hotel Among Oldest in
the City

The last OF the Princess del Dras"s
house at the corner Of Fifth avenue and
Sixty second street, which Is being re
moved to make way for the new Knick-
crbocker Club, was cleared away last
week. AS the wreckers pulled away
at the once massive entrance to the
Wansion all that remained of the we'll
known house. another band Of wreckers
were busy preparing to remove the
old Victoria Hotel on the south side
" Twenty seventh street. from Fifth
avenue to Broadway. to make way for
u tall business building. In few weeks
the hnnd of progress. which has claimed
the two foregoing buildings. will reach
out for the Grand Union Hotel. NJ tho
southeast corner Of Park avenue and
Forty-sccond street. opposite tine Grand
Central Station. The end of spring
may see this old timer levelcd with tn"
street that builders of the east si;c
subway may go on with the construc-
ton of the new tube with assuranc" of
their lives. The three BUILDINGS are
all We'll known to New Workers ana I"
those who have come here on sight
seeiiu, tours. The hotels arc at least
Knowledge Of the Del Draro house
depends on whether the native or the
visitor to our city has taken a trip
through Fifth avenue. If so then the
Del Drago house. formidable and frown-
ing as the castles of old with turreis
and towers, will be remembered. 1t
was .one of the sights that hifkers
on Fifth avenue buses called attention
20. The barker would say The house
on the south corner to my right is
the magnificent home Of the well known
Princess del Drago. who owns the Lion
Brewery"
The house was monument to the
ambitions Of women to gain a great
social position in New York.
With millions at her command Mrs.
Josephine Schmid began her campaign
for social attainment soon after tho
death, In 1889, Of her husband. August
Schrpid, chief owner OF the Lion Brew
cry On Columbus avenue. The Schmids
lived on i0Sth street, opposite the
brewery. Her first step in her campaign
was TO erect fine home on Fifth av-
cnue As site she bought the Sixty
second street corner and gave orders for
the erection Of home that would equal
any residence that faced Central Park
ut the time Money was not to be spared.
and the house that was erected for
Mrs. Schmid was indeed Zine house. II
We accept the word of men who claim
10 be judges of archit,ctur 1t was
built In the Gothic style OF architecture.
q style which appealed to Mrs. Schmid's
taste as conveyer OF pomp and ele-
sance. At the junction of the street
and avenue the house had a round
tower. which terminated IN a slender
cone that reached far above all other
parts OF the building.
This was n feature OF .he dwelling
ana Il was this tower that first attracted
attention To the house There We're
other towers on the building ana in
other ways the house resemhlod the
homes of the feudal lords of old. but
On smaller sca.e. as the Schmld house
had but 80 feet on Fifth avenue ana
100 feet on the street 70 spread over.
II was a we'll constructed building, as
the wreckers would tell.
When built Mrs. Schmd stocked the
building with the finest furniture ana
tapestry that could he bought. She
was not long, however. In discovering
that fine house on Fifth avenue was
not n key 10 the social set that she