William A. Clark House

The William A. Clark House once stood at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 77th Street as a monument to Gilded Age excess. Known to New Yorkers as Clarks Folly, this massive nine story residence took thirteen years to complete and cost an staggering seven million dollars at the turn of the twentieth century. Senator William A. Clark was so determined to build a home of unrivaled scale that he purchased his own granite quarry in New Hampshire and constructed a private railroad to transport the stone to Manhattan. By the time the final ornament was set in place, architectural tastes had shifted so drastically that the public ridiculed the mansion as an outdated and gaudy relic. The residence was eventually demolished in 1927, lasting less than two decades after its long and arduous construction.