Calling all period drama fans: Julian Fellowes, creator of the popular “Downton Abbey” series on PBS, is set to write and produce a new NBC show set in New York City. “The Gilded Age” will tell the story of “the princes of the American Renaissance, and the vast fortunes they made — and spent — in late 19th Century New York,” according to the producers.
But where could these princes have lived? Using Streeteasy.com data, The Real Deal took a look at several homes currently on the market that date back to the Gilded Age, roughly the period between 1877 and 1893.
A good number of townhouses that date back to the late 1870s front Central Park or are clustered in the vicinity, according to Lina Viviano, vice president at Town Residential and founder of walking tour company Gotham Walking Tours.
While downtown Manhattan neighborhoods like Gramercy Park date to the 1830s, an uptown progression began following the financial panic of 1873. By the latter half of that decade, downtown Manhattan was considered a “has been” area. But uptown, private builders began to see their work as viable again. “If they built houses on spec,” Viviano said, “they would be purchased.”