James Bailey House

{{For|the house in Gainesville, Florida|Maj. James B. Bailey House}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Bailey House

| nrhp_type =

| image = Bailey House.jpg

| caption = The Bailey House in 2017

| image_size = 250px

| location = 10 St. Nicholas Place
Manhattan, New York City

| coordinates = {{coord|40|49|38|N|73|56|33|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = New York City#New York#USA

| built = 1886–1888{{cite aia5|page=517}}

| architect = Samuel B. Reed{{NRISref|2009a}}

| architecture = Romanesque Revival

| added = April 23, 1980

| refnum = 80002668

| designated_other2_name = New York City Landmark

| designated_other2_date = February 19, 1974

| designated_other2_abbr = NYCL

| designated_other2_link = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

| designated_other2_color = #FFE978

| designated_other2_number = 0845

}}

The James A. and Ruth M. Bailey House{{cite nycland|page=198}} is a freestanding limestone mansion located at 10 St. Nicholas Place at West 150th Street in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem in Manhattan, New York City. The house was built from 1886 to 1888 and was designed by architect Samuel Burrage Reed in the Romanesque Revival style for circus impresario James Anthony Bailey of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.{{Cite news|last=Lewis|first=Christina S. N.|date=November 14, 2008|title=NYC House Built by Bailey, of Circus Fame, Goes on Sale|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122661419665725939|access-date=November 10, 2023|issn=0099-9660|page=W8}} When it was constructed there were few other buildings in the area, and as a result, sitting as it does on an escarpment, the Bailey Mansion had a clear view to the east of the Long Island Sound.

History and description

Among the house's numerous design features are numerous unique stained glass mosaic windows, designed and fabricated by Henry Belcher, and the varying kinds of wood throughout each room.{{Cite web|url=https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/catalogue-from-belcher-mosaic-glass-co-1886/|title=Catalogue from Belcher Mosaic Glass Co. (1886)}} The interior is richly paneled in hand-carved timber. The exterior features Flemish-style gables and a corner tower.

Bailey sold the house two years prior to his death and from the 1910s to the 1950s, it was owned by a Bavarian doctor, Franz Koempel. In 1951, the house was purchased by Marguerite Blake, who ran it as the M. Marshall Blake Funeral Home until her retirement. The Bailey House was designated a New York City Landmark in 1974, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2000, a fire damaged portions of the house.{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=April 8, 2001 |title=Streetscapes/150th Street and St. Nicholas Place; 1888 Mansion Built by the Bailey of Barnum & Bailey |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/realestate/streetscapes-150th-street-st-nicholas-place-1888-mansion-built-bailey-barnum.html |access-date=February 26, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}} In late 2008, she brought the house to market, seeking to sell it for $10 million. As of May 2009, it was being listed for $6.5 million.[http://www.stribling.com/propinfo.asp?webid=1125532&type=TOWNHOUSE Listing], Stribing brokerage website. On August 31, 2009, it was reported that the house sold for $1.4 million, which is only around $170 per square foot.{{Cite news |last=Arak |first=Joey |date=August 31, 2009 |title=Harlem Circus House Sells for Over 75% Off Original Price |language=en |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2009/8/31/10533954/harlem-circus-house-sells-for-over-75-off-original-price |access-date=February 26, 2023}}

In 2014, the house was renovated and cremated remains belonging to the funeral parlor were found in a Harlem storage unit.{{Cite book |last=Krombie |first=K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C7lFEAAAQBAJ&dq=%2522M.+Marshall+Blake+Funeral+Home%2522&pg=PA56 |title=Death in New York: History and Culture of Burials, Undertakers & Executions |date=2021 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-4965-5 |pages=56–57 |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Alberts |first=Hana R. |date=August 7, 2014 |title=Harlem's Turreted Circus Castle Is Getting a Big Makeover |language=en |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2014/8/7/10063184/harlems-turreted-circus-castle-is-getting-a-big-makeover |access-date=February 26, 2023}} As of 2024, the house is still being repaired and restored by owners Martin Spollen and Chen Jie, and Jie's cousin Xu Haihua.{{Cite news |last=Gill |first=John Freeman |date=2024-06-21 |title=The Spectacular Transformation of a Showman’s Mansion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/realestate/harlem-bailey-mansion-renovation.html |access-date=2024-06-21 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}