Lubin House – Syracuse University
Lubin House – Syracuse University
11 East 61st StreetNew York, NY 10065
212 826 0320
suinnycgiving.syr.edu
M-F 10am-6pm; Sa 11am-4pm
A private club, Lubin House is Syracuse University’s base in New York, where it hosts a wide selection of alumni events, provides housing for visiting students and staff, and serves as the regional admissions office. It is also home to the Louise Bernard Palitz Gallery, which features rotating exhibits throughout the year that are open to the public. When we visited, the gallery was celebrating the house’s fiftieth anniversary with a collection of art devoted to the history of Lubin House.
We learned that the townhouse was constructed in 1876 based on a design by architect John G Prague. The first owner is listed as Mrs. Susan Sullivan at a time when it was rare for a woman to purchase a building on her own. It was renovated in the Beaux-Arts style by a different landlord in 1883. After changing hands several more times, the facade was covered in brick, giving it its current external appearance. The 29 Club, founded by businessmen after the stock market crash, occupied the space from 1947 until 1964, when Joseph Lubin entered the scene. He was an accountant and a real estate investor who had earned a degree in drama from Syracuse. He purchased the townhouse on 61st in order to gift it to his alma mater. The Syracuse University Board of Trustees had their first New York meeting here in 1965.