19 East 54th Street, originally the Minnie E. Young House, is a commercial building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.

Young commissioned the house after her uncle Lewis Ginter, the founder of the American Tobacco Company, died in 1897 and left her a large bequest.

The Minnie E. Young House is at 19 East 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.

Nearby sites include the William H. Moore House at 4 East 54th Street and the Aeolian Building to the west; the St. Regis New York hotel to the northwest; 550 Madison Avenue one block north; the DuMont Building to the southeast; and Paley Park one block south.

[3][6] The block of East 54th Street from Fifth to Madison Avenues was only sporadically developed until the late 1870s, and it had brownstone residences by 1886.

[10] Russell Sturgis, writing for Architectural Record in 1900, described 19 East 54th Street as being well proportioned because its increased width allowed more imposing design features.

According to Sturgis, "if one were to wish for a fairly good idea embodied in solid construction of those villini which the Florentines have been building diligently during the last twenty years, he would find it in this front.

The main entrance is through a portico in the center bay, with engaged columns flanking a slightly recessed doorway.

[13] When the house was turned into the salon of hairdresser Mr. Kenneth, the interior was richly decorated throughout with flowered carpet and red-and-yellow paisley pattern fabrics.

[13] Minnie Young initially lived in the house with her son Lewis and sister Johanna Arents, as well as a variety of servants.

[13] The house hosted events such as the wedding of Edna Young to Alfred E. Dieterich in April 1900,[20] as well as a fundraiser of the Junior Auxiliary to the New York Diet Kitchen Association in 1913.

[21] The surrounding neighborhood rapidly became a commercial zone after World War I, and Minnie Young moved to 420 Park Avenue in 1920, though she retained ownership of the house until her death in 1933.

[24] The next month, Mott B. Schmidt filed plans to remove partitions, add rooms, and rearrange spaces in the building for $20,000.

[28][29] Lucille's attorney characterized the "embarrassment of the company" (as it was described in The New York Times) as being partially caused by the relocation to 19 East 54th Street.

[32][33] Vernay bought the house outright from the estate of Minnie Young in 1933; at the time, the building was valued at about $450,000 for taxation purposes.

[35] During the 1930s, the Vernay gallery was used for multiple events, such as a show of English antique furniture,[36] a needle-art show with work by artists such as former U.S. first lady Edith Roosevelt,[37][38] a Tibetan-artifact exhibition to benefit a children's school,[39] and an exhibition of English clockmakers' art.

The purchase was intended to provide adequate space for the ESU, whose American operation was then headquartered at nearby 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

[18] In addition, the building was used for events, such as exhibits of British veterans' products,[48] early-20th century English art,[49] and a needlework tapestry in memory of the Battle of Britain.

[18][53] Payson had initially refused to take the title because of these delays, saying that the building's entrance portico and underground vaults projected slightly into the street.

The New York Supreme Court ruled that the ESU was entitled to demand specific performance; namely, Payson was obligated to take the title.

Some women would drop in simply for lunch, or to sit and leaf through magazines while enjoying the relaxed, club-like atmosphere.

The owner of 19 East 54th Street, Donald J. Gordon, was planning to rebuild the house, and Kenneth Salon's lease was effectively terminated.

[12][13] Gordon spent $1.2 million to refurbish the interior, adding an elevator and mechanical areas[59] to designs by Emery Roth & Sons.

The wide facade enabled Bank Audi to add offices and a conference room lit by large windows.

[64] On November 22, 2016, the LPC designated 19 East 54th Street and ten other nearby buildings as city landmarks.