Manufacture
SJX uncovers the captivating history behind Cartier's iconic Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, detailing its architectural origins and the intriguing tale of its acquisition. This article, titled "The Ghost and a Necklace," delves into the building's past, revealing its transformation from a residential mansion to a commercial landmark through a legendary pearl necklace transaction.
The Ghost and a Necklace
Cartier’s flagship store in Manhattan sits at 651-653 Fifth Avenue, including 4 East 52nd Street. Begun in 1903 and completed in 1905, the six storey Italian Renaissance building was designed by Robert W. Gibson and Charles P. H. Gilbert. Both were prominent architects in early 20th century New York. Gibson designed the Albany Cathedral and the New York Botanical Gardens Museum while Gilbert designed mansions for names like Kahn, Woolworth and Warburg.
Source: Wikipedia (it is useful sometimes)
The plot of land under which the building sits originally belonged to William K. Vanderbilt, whose family built several large mansions in the area in the late 19th century. In Vanderbilt’s day the area was a residential neighbourhood, but as the city developed commerce began to intrude, presaging the move uptown by the great and the good.
But before that happened, Vanderbilt sold the plot to Morton Freeman Plant. Plant’s father was a railroad tycoon, which allowed Plant to “attain distinction as a yachtsman” as well as build a hospital in Florida that still bears his name. Plant erected the mansion with the entrance on East 52nd Street. In 1905 he moved in, while Vanderbilt lived across from him. Vanderbilt soon left though, leaving Plant to face the onslaught of shops and hotels.
Plant lasted till 1917, when he gave up and moved to a house on 86th and Fifth. Three years earlier, Plant married Mae Cadwell Manwaring. He was 61 while legend has it she was 19, and also already married. Maisie, as she was known, one day spotted a double-strand necklace of pearls at the Cartier store, valued at $1 million.
Run by Pierre Cartier, grandson of founder Louis-Francois Cartier, the store was at 712 Fifth Avenue, near 56th Street, though Cartier desired to move downtown. Plant, on the other hand, having already decided to go uptown, agreed to swap his 52nd Street mansion for the necklace as well as $100. And with that, a Cartier myth was created.
And so in 1917, Cartier moved into Plant’s former home. Though the exterior was retained, most of the interior was remodelled, save for Plant’s second floor music room with an elaborately coffered ceiling, which is still there, largely the same as it was. In 1970 the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building a landmark, for its “special character, special historical and aesthetic interest and value”.
The store, with its entrance on 52nd Street, as seen from the opposite side of Fifth Avenue
Source: Wikipedia
Though Cartier has occupied the building at 651-653 Fifth Avenue since then, it sold the property many years ago. By the year 2000, Cartier was a tenant of Olympic Tower Associates, a corporation controlled by a foundation founded by Aristotle Onassis; Olympic Tower is just adjacent to the Cartier store. But even though it no longer owns the building, the Fifth Avenue location is a Cartier landmark, along with its stores at Rue de la Paix or Old Bond Street.
Today the Cartier building is one of the few remaining mansion buildings in midtown Manhattan, along with its immediate neighbour on Fifth Avenue which was the former home of George W. Vanderbilt and the last Vanderbilt mansion still standing. Originally one of a pair of Vanderbilt townhouses known as the “Marble Twins”, the building is now a Versace store. Facing Cartier on 52nd Street sits a Ferragamo store, in a thoroughly modern eight storey building, on a site that once sat William K. Vanderbilt’s mansion.
Plant passed away in 1918, after which Maisie remarried twice, or thrice, details are unclear. A year after her death in 1956, the famous string of pearls was auctioned for a mere $151,000. Cultured pearls had by then ruined the market for natural pearls.
No one knows where the pearl necklace is today. But a long way away, in Clearwater, Florida, sits the Belleview Biltmore hotel. Built by Plant’s father in 1895, the hotel is well known for supernatural goings-on, including the customary happenings of lights that switch off and doors that slam shut, all on their own. But there is also said to be a ghostly lady that roams the halls. She is said to be Maisie Plant, looking for her treasured necklace.
References
Dunlap, D. W. (26 April 2000). Cartier Spruces Up to Show Off Its Jewels in Style. The New York Times.
Gray, C. (28 January 2001). The Jeweler That Conquered a Millionaire's Row. The New York Times.
Gray, C. (9 April 1995). A Versace Restoration for a Vanderbilt Town House. The New York Times.
Helfand, L. (27 March 2004). Not-so-ghastly ghostly guests. St. Petersburg Times.
Landmarks Preservation Commission. (14 July 1970). Cartier, Inc. (No. 1, LP-0271). New York.
This message has been edited by SJX on 2010-04-02 04:41:31 This message has been edited by SJX on 2010-04-02 22:09:22 This message has been edited by SJX on 2010-04-05 01:05:30SJX, That is a great story. Imagine having such a large home to live in; too much room for me. I took out some of my old New York history books to see if I could trace some of this information about Maisie and the double strand pearl necklace. Didn't find anything but none-the-less, it's a great story. Have a blessed Easter, Helen
SJX, Thanks for the story. Passed the building many times and always thought the area was "commercial". Who would ave thought that people actually lived on 5th Ave, that low down With the ups and downs of Cartier USA finances, it was a shame that they had to sell their building. I hope they havea tenure in perpetuity clause in their contract. I guess the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation doesn't need the building back anytime soon...... Regards, MTF
were mostly enormous. A couple remain, like the Cartier store. The most famous is Henry Clay Frick's home which is now the Frick Collection; I like that museum, it is compact and easily digested. - SJX
If buildings could talk, I am sure we could hear many more stories like this. The Fifth Avenue Store is absolute an amazing building at an exceptional location. GEO
Cartier is the store of client that most tenants would want. I'm sure it'll be there for a long time more. - SJX
Great write up on the history of the famous 5th Avenue store. While I knew the story regarding the trade of the pearls for the mansion, I did not know that Cartier no longer owned the property. I've visited several Cartier Boutiques in the US, and 2 overseas, but the 5th Avenue store is always a real treat to visit. Its such a beautiful store and as Geo and others have suggested, the stories that building could tell if it could talk would be amazing. Last year I saw an exhibit there of the 100 Y
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