Herbert N. Straus House
| Herbert N. Straus House | |
|---|---|
View of 9 East 71st Street | |
Interactive map of the Herbert N. Straus House area | |
| General information | |
| Location | 9 East 71st Street, Manhattan, New York City |
| Completed | 1932 (exterior) |
| Renovated | 1977 (roof extension); c. 1989–1995; 2022–2025 (major renovation) |
| Owner | Michael Daffey (as of 2025) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone (exterior) |
| Floor area | 51,000 sq ft (4,700 m²) (as of 2003, after expansions) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Horace Trumbauer |
The Herbert N. Straus House is a large town house at 9 East 71st Street, on the north side in the middle of the block just east of Fifth Avenue, in the Upper East Side neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The exterior was designed by Horace Trumbauer, and completed in 1932. A roof extension was added in 1977. The size of the house was believed to be 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) in the late 1980s, and by 2003 had been enlarged to 51,000 square feet (4,700 m2), spread over nine floors. A 15-foot-high (4.6 m) oak door and large arched windows are distinctive features of the limestone exterior. A heated sidewalk is located in front of the house.
Vicky Ward in 2003 described the house as "the crown jewel of the city's residential town houses ... it sits on—or, rather, commands—the block of 71st Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Almost ludicrously out of proportion with its four- and five-story neighbors, it seems more like an institution than a house" and that it was believed to be the largest private residence in Manhattan. The house's 2008 property tax bill was the fourth highest for a single residence in New York City. In 2019 it was valued at $77 million by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and at $56 million by the New York City Department of Finance.