"The Brownstones Of Turtle Bay Gardens" 1964 DETMOLD, Mabel
$350
DETMOLD, Mabel
[77] pp.
The East 49th Street Association
1964
8 3/4" x 6"
Fine/ Fine
Turtle Bay Gardens is a 20-house historic enclave in Midtown Manhattan (East 48th/49th Sts) revitalized in the 1920s by Charlotte Hunnewell (later Mrs. Walton Martin). It converted 1860s rowhouses into a Mediterranean-style community with a shared central garden, attracting famous residents like Katharine Hepburn and Stephen Sondheim.
Key Details of Turtle Bay Gardens
Location: 20 brownstones on 48th and 49th Streets, between Second and Third Avenues.
Creator: Charlotte Hunnewell (later Mrs. Walton Martin) purchased the homes in 1919–1920, with architects Edward C. Dean and William Bottomley designing the renovation.
Design: Inspired by Italian villas, the design removed rear fencing to create a shared, central garden with a fountain, featuring iron turtle motifs on the front gates.
Notable Residents: Katharine Hepburn (244 E 49th St), Stephen Sondheim, E.B. White, Bob Dylan, Leopold Stokowski, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Detmold Connection: Mabel Detmold was a resident who noted theories on the name origin. The area is near Detmold Park, named for a local activist, Philip Detmold, who was murdered nearby in 1972.The enclave remains a private, highly exclusive "oasis" in Manhattan known for its quiet, verdant interior courtyard.