At the beginning of the 20th century, the city’s elite built mansions along Fifth Avenue modeled on French chateaux. But those who didn’t have the cash — or land — to build entire castles could at least incorporate one feature often reserved for royalty (or fairy tales): the turret.
The addition of the rounded tower instantly communicates the fortress-like qualities of a home — and the city’s robber barons (with surnames like Frick, Carnegie and Vanderbilt) certainly believed they were the masters of the universe.
A century later, city turrets that have survived render their facades impressive and also create unique — often circular and windowed — interior spaces.
Many turreted homes are on the Upper West Side. By 1900, with nearly every lot on Fifth Avenue spoken for, developers turned toward the Hudson, envisioning Riverside Drive as the new Fifth Avenue.
