161 West 93rd Street

The building standing at 161 West 93rd Street was originally constructed in 1912 to serve as the home of the Nippon Club. Founded by the influential research chemist Jokichi Takamine, this organization functioned as a private social hub for Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans in New York City. The architect, John Vredenburgh Van Pelt, designed the structure to blend Chicago School principles with the aesthetic traditions of Florence, a fusion famously described by architectural critics as a style that sails overhead with the quiet, authoritative confidence of Lorenzo de Medici. Behind its facade, the club offered its members a space designed to evoke a sense of home, featuring sliding screen doors, carved sycamore chairs, and delicate lanterns crafted from rice paper.