Frick, Henry Clay, 1849-1919

Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), a prominent industrialist and art collector, commissioned architect Thomas Hastings of the firm Carrère & Hastings to design and build his New York residence in 1912. Located at One East 70th Street, the three-story Beaux-Arts mansion featured a 100-foot gallery for his art collection. Charles Allom of White, Allom & Co. and Elsie de Wolfe were selected to furnish the rooms. Frick, along with his wife and daughter, took up residence in the house in November 1914. Frick, who began his art collection in 1881, continued to acquire paintings, sculpture, furnishings and other decorative objects until his death in 1919. In 1931, the house, in accordance with the terms of Frick's will, was converted into a museum, with architectural changes overseen by John Russell Pope. Expanded to include two new galleries, a music room, and a garden court, the museum opened to the public as The Frick Collection in 1935.

From the description of Henry Clay Frick Furnishings Files, 1913-1920. (Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection). WorldCat record id: 713907326

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