Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Manhattan The Wendel House

The Wendel House

The former home of the reclusive "Weird Wendels" who dominated New York real estate a century before Donald Trump.

New York, New York

Added By
danielcmassey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Wendel house plaque   Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
John G. Wendel House: Northwest corner of 39th Street and Fifth Avenue, 1915   Perry Walton
Wendel house plaque   Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
Wendel house plaque   Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
Wendel house plaque   Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
Wendel house plaque   Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
  Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
Wendel house plaque from across 5th Ave   Atlas Obscura user Darren Orf
A color print of the Wendel’s four-story brownstone, ca. 1880   Local History Collection, Irvington Public Library
  tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
Dayton, H. S. (1925). New York in 7 Days. R. M. McBride & Company.   jeanetteschool / Atlas Obscura User
Wendel house plaque   danielcmassey / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Before Donald Trump's moniker was stamped all over New York City, there was another super-rich surname that dominated Manhattan real estate, and another bizarre story attached to it. 

Around the turn of the 20th century, the Wendels were one of the most powerful real estate families in New York, owning 150 properties in Manhattan, worth about $1 billion today. But they certainly didn't act the part. The six Wendel siblings—five of whom were women—lived together in a mansion on 5th Avenue and barely ever set foot outside the house. The four-story, 40-room red brick brownstone became known as the “House of Mystery," where “the Weird Wendels” lived like hermits.

John G. Wendel, the one male, was eccentric at best, tyrannical at worst. He refused to allow his sisters to marry, worried that any children they had would dilute the family fortune. He gave them few opportunities to socialize with others, and lived like a recluse stuck in his ways. The house, built in 1856, was lit by gaslight up through the 1920s, eschewing modern amenities like electricity or telephone. Decades went by without any updates made to the musty furniture or decor, or the Wendels' clothing—they wore outdated Victorian garb and traversed the city in an old carriage instead of a car on the rare occasion they went out.

The last of the Wendel siblings, Ella, passed away in 1931. She left the Wendel home to Drew University requesting it remain as a memorial to the family in its current state (such that it was). The university maintains a memorial room on campus, but the prized site on 5th Avenue was razed in 1934 and gave way to commercial properties like the rest of the formerly residential avenue.

Today there are a few reminders of the Wendel empire, outside a vault at Trinity Cemetery in lower Manhattan, and a bronze plaque the size of a door at the site of the former Wendel home on 5th Avenue.

Related Tags

Plaques Houses Real Estate Homes

Know Before You Go

On 5th Ave right next to the Panera Bread.

Community Contributors

Added By

danielcmassey

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, Blindcolour, icatsstaci, jeanetteschool...

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • Blindcolour
  • icatsstaci
  • jeanetteschool
  • tylercole
  • Meg
  • Hardwork247
  • CartmanMTB

Published

October 18, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/realestate/before-the-trumps-there-were-the-wendels.html
  • http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1934/08/04/wendel-house
  • http://new-york-city.yodelout.com/manhattan-history-those-weird-wendels/
  • http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/31/realestate/an-orphan-asylum-and-a-fifth-avenue-farmhouse.html
The Wendel House
452 5th Ave
New York, New York
United States
40.752115, -73.982294
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Wertheim Study

New York, New York

miles away

The Real Winnie the Pooh & Pals

New York, New York

miles away

Pneumatic System of the New York Public Library

New York, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York

New York

New York

Places 405
Stories 89

Nearby Places

The Wertheim Study

New York, New York

miles away

The Real Winnie the Pooh & Pals

New York, New York

miles away

Pneumatic System of the New York Public Library

New York, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York

New York

New York

Places 405
Stories 89

Related Stories and Lists

The 11 Best Things to do Near the Empire State Building for Curious Travelers

List

By Atlas Obscura

Even Midtown Manhattan Has Its Secrets

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • Francis Bacon Studio and Home.

    London, England

    Francis Bacon's Studio and Home

    A plaque pays tribute to the artist's longtime London home.

  • James Corbett Home

    Queens, New York

    James Corbett Home

    The home of former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, "Gentleman Jim" Corbett.

  • The house where H.G. Wells lived.

    Sandgate, England

    House of H.G. Wells

    In a small Kentish seaside stands the former home of one of the greatest science-fiction writers.

  • The facade of the house.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Last Home of Descartes

    A plaque marks the house in Stockholm where the French philosopher René Descartes lived up until his death.

  • Newport, Rhode Island

    Cornè House

    The home of the artist credited with introducing the tomato to the American diet.

  • Gothenburg, Sweden

    The Ghost Plaque of the Keyhole House

    This mysterious sign claims an American astronomer haunts the building—but is it true?

  • This house was transported piece-by-piece from the Huizhou region of China.

    Salem, Massachusetts

    Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home

    A rare 16-bedroom Qing Dynasty house re-erected on the campus of the Peabody Essex Museum. 

  • View from Above; a more recent concrete construction can be seen nearby

    Green Island, Taiwan

    Youzihu

    The ruins of a prehistoric village hide on a remote Taiwanese island.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.