William Sloane House (Italian Cultural Institute)

686 Park Avenue | Upper East Side | built 1919

Open on the map4 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1919

    Delano & Aldrich build a brick neo-Federal house for William Sloane on Park Avenue

    The house was designed by Delano & Aldrich and built between 1916 and 1919 for William Sloane. It is one of four brick neo-Federal townhouses on the west side of Park Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets, sometimes called the Pyne-Davison blockfront. Each has a rusticated stone base, and floor heights and cornices line up, because each architect respected the neighboring designs. Sloane's frontage is broader than that of No. 684 to the south, and its windows are slightly larger, with wider wall spaces between them.

    “No. 686 Park Avenue was designed by Delano & Aldrich and built in 1916-19 as a residence for William Sloane.”

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  2. 1922

    William Sloane, president of the family firm W. & J. Sloane, dies three years after his house is finished

    William Sloane ran W. & J. Sloane, the family firm, as its president from 1906 until he died in 1922. According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission's report, the Sloane family later sold the house to Thomas E. Murray, an engineer well known in the city. By 1970 it belonged to Italy and housed that country's cultural institute.

    “William Sloane was president of the family firm of W. & J. Sloane, from 1906 until his death in 1922.”

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  3. 1961

    The Italian Cultural Institute, founded by Italy in 1961, now occupies the former Sloane house

    Italy's government set up its Cultural Institute in New York in 1961, with a mission of promoting the Italian language and culture across America. It now works from 686 Park Avenue, the former Sloane house, where it keeps a library of about 30,000 volumes. It partners with leading East Coast universities and cultural institutions and supports art exhibitions and grants for translating and publishing Italian books.

    Source: iicnewyork.esteri.it

  4. 1970

    November 10

    The Landmarks Commission designates the Sloane house, praising its fit as an Italian cultural center

    The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the house on November 10, 1970, after a May 26 hearing at which a Community Board representative and two more witnesses backed it and nobody objected. The commission called it an excellent example of neo-Federal design by an eminent firm, with fine proportions that harmonize with its neighbors. It also found that the house suited its use as a cultural center for the Republic of Italy.

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Further reading

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