TURNER AND KILLIANConstructed in 1902-1903 by architects James R. Turner and William G. Killian, 5, 7, and 9 East 88th Street were built in the Beaux-Arts style with frontages ranging from 24.5 feet wide to 27 feet wide, an impressive scale which amplifies the elaborate details found in each mansion. Number 7 is distinguished by having a full limestone facing and prominent dormers compared to the limestone and brick facades found on Number 5 and 9. With a two-story oriel and columns at the front entry, Number 7 East 88th Street also retains its original wrought-iron grille on the front door.Turner and Killian had previous experience in creating exquisite townhouses in the East 80s and brought to this building what they learned in designing and building 991 Fifth Avenue, now the Irish-American Historical Society at East 80th Street, and 1083 Fifth Avenue, the National Academy Museum just one block away from the very prominent 7 East 88th Street neighbor, The Guggenheim Museum.THE RESIDENCEMade impressive by its columned limestone center entry, this elegantly crafted townhouse is comprised of 12,700 square feet and currently configured as a six-unit residence. Standing 24.5 feet wide, it is built 80 feet deep on the 100-foot lot creating an expansive garden but also allows for a gracious interior floor plan. There is a superb central staircase which runs the full height of the six level plus basement townhouse and elevator servicing all floors. The present unit composition is a garden level triplex, a top level triplex, and four one-bedroom sized simplex apartments. Evident within the units are original details, outstanding scale, ceiling height, and large window sizes, as well as the numerous opportunities for outdoor spaces on upper levels including the existing fifth floor rear terrace facing north.THE FIRST CITIZEN OF NEW YORKWith an impressive roster of architects, the north side of East 88th Street Fifth to Madison provides a showcase of turn-of-the-century architecture, benefiting each owner to be part of the this elegant streetscape. While the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum anchors the block on Fifth Avenue, residences such as the J. Fulton Cutting, Jr. House at 15 East 88th Street, designed by renowned architectural firm Delano and Aldrich, continues the richly detailed elegance of the north side of this block, with an impressive 25.5 foot wide Neo-Federal facade of brick and stone. A descendant of Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat, J. Fulton Cutting, Jr. was a financier and philanthropist who tried to address the housing problems of the City's working poor, earning the title, the first citizen of New York.