Anthony Campagna Architecture

Anthony Campagna architecture outside of Manhattan:

Anthony Campagna – residence/estate
– 640 West 249th Street designed by Dwight James Baum 1929-30 Bronx
– Riverdale-on-Hudson, New York City (many images)
– Landmarks Preservation Commission November 16, 1993 (great architectural description, history of site, bio of Campagna, bio of Baum)
– 600 [perhaps outbuilding of 640 estate] West 249th Street address of Marie P. Campagna at time of death obit NYT 23 Aug 1967

For his Riverdale residence, Mr. Campagna chose the Aeolian Company to furnish a pipe organ. As was standard for Aeolian residence organs, the instrument could be played three ways: in the traditional manner from a three-manual console; entirely automatically by the Duo-Art Player; or semi-automatically by the Solo Player. The Aeolian Company Specification (Aug. 30, 1929) and Contract states that the organ would be built for a consideration of $21,000, and installed on or about March 15, 1930. The fate of this organ is unknown. Anthony Campagna Residence 640 249th Street Riverdale (The Bronx), N.Y. 10471 The New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (photos of home and organ)

In addition to other Campagna family members being involved in the building empire, Americus Campagna (not sure of relation) was also involved. (Kelley Paterno page 288)

Campagna and his wife lived in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, where Campagna purchased land from Percy Rivington Pyne and built the now landmark palatial residence at 640 West 249th Street. The home, modeled after an Italian villa, was built in 1929 to 1930 and was designed by architect Dwight James Baum and landscape architect Ferruccio Vitale and his partner, Alfred Geiffert, Jr., who won the 1934 gold medal in landscape architecture from the Architectural League of New York for the property. As of 2011, the building was owned by Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni. (Wikipedia)….an old estate (the former Anthony Campagna mansion at 640 West 249th Street) that some believe to have been featured in the motion picture The Godfather. Today, it is a dormitory for the Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni. (Wikipedia)

This building has been designated a landmark:

640 West 249th Street

Construction Date: 1929 – 1930 Architect / Builder: Dwight James Baum Owner / Developer: Anthony Campagna Major Alteration(s): None Alteration Architect(s): None Style(s): Italian Renaissance Revival Material(s): Rusticated Limestone, Stucco, Stone, Spanish Tiles, Iron Building Type: Freestanding House Original Use: Residential, single family Tax Block: 5914 Tax Lot: 315 , Iron The formal landscape was designed by Ferruccio Vitale and Alfred Geiffert, Jr. and based on Italian prototypes All building data and notes from the Anthony Campagna Estate designation report and in some cases supplemented by the LPC’s Guide to New York City Landmarks (2009). NYC Landmarks

W H(D) [**]Campagna House (Fig. 24), 640 West 249th Street 21(192925; Dwight James Baum, Architect) Originally constructed as a residence for Count Anthony Campagna, a wealthy Manhattan builder of the 1920s, this imposing building is situated on a rise overlooking the Wave Hill estate, at the corner of West 249th Street and Independence Avenue. A cobblestone drive from the entry gate forms a main axis perpendicular with the front facade, opening at the front entrance into a forecourt with a central fountain. The main entry is framed by a portico of three round arches. (source)

WH-4 (F) 600 West 249th Street. Located just to the east of the Campagna House (WH3, supra), this residence appears to be of approximately the same period as that designated landmark. The rear portion of this residence and two residences located just behind it appear to be former outbuildings, including a pool house and garage, of the Campagna House. (source)

Home appliance manufacturer Monitor Equipment Company had bought the Campagna mansion in the Riverdale section of the Bronx as its research headquarters. The 35-room Italian Renaissance style building stood on a two-acre hilltop estate overlooking the Hudson River, across from Wave Hill, now a public park. It had been built between 1928 and 1930 by Anthony Campagna for his own use. The Italian-born builder was an in law of the Paterno family and like them had made a fortune constructing high-rise apartments in Manhattan during the 1920s. The Times noted that his former home was one of many great residences “deemed to have outlived usefulness as a private home because of its size and the consequent expense of upkeep.” Throughout the metropolitan area, particularly in the nearby suburbs, similar residences were being converted to house research facilities, institutes and foundations. Riverdale had become an enclave of the city’s elite, between the wars, a suburban neighborhood within the city limits. Other Real Estate News in the Sunday Times

“In the last 50 years, there has been a growing Jewish community in the neighborhood. Its three Jewish schools, the Kinneret Day School, the Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni High School (across from Wave Hill in the former Campagna estate) and the SAR Academy are among the top Jewish schools in the country, according to Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt of the Riverdale Jewish Center.” If You’re Thinking of Living In/Riverdale, the Bronx; A Community Jealous of Its Open Space By Margaret Garb March 1, 1998

Anthony Campagna built some luxury apartment buildings in St. Louise, Missouri per Carlo Paterno in My Family page 76.

Around 1949-1951 Anthony went to St. Louis to build a New York style apartment house. Anthony and his sons decided to build the Montclair on Forest Park, which was the best section of St. Louis with parks and medical centers around it. They build these beautiful apartments with the intention of renting them from the plans as they did in New York where they were rented way ahead of the time the building was built. At that time I went to their office. I was a young guy in the automobile business and was sort of drifting around. Uncle Anthony and his two sons, John and Joseph talked to me. They wanted me to come down to St.Louis and sell or rent apartments. So I said okay and we moved to Clayton, the best suburb of St. Louis. Uncle Michael Campagna was down there. He was the sheriff of Duchess County and was also in the construction business with his brothers, Armino and Anthony. (by John J. Ciluzzi in Kelley Paterno page 408)

CMP book Page 75: “Right after World War II Uncle Anthony obtained delivery of steel for a large apartment house to be built in Manhattan. At that time he was a member of the New York City Board of Education and he was persuaded to sell the property on which he planned to build to the City College of New York. [sold the property to New York University]

Page 76: He summoned his son, Joe, to find another site on which to use the structural steel that was hard to get in those post-war days. Joe Campagna found a lovely corner location in St. Louis, Missouri. There he built the luxury apartment house, “Montclair,” with the steel which had been planned for his Manhattan project.

Joe moved to St. Louis with his family, where he put up other luxury apartment buildings. “

Anthony and his wife Maria had a beautiful home in Springlake, one in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and one in Chappaqua, New York. The mansion in Chappaqua was a beautiful estate with a tennis court. It was a lovely , quiet place. Kelley Paterno book page 245

“In stating that I was not a newcomer, I had reference to the fact that I have been visiting the White Mountains with my wife and family for the last twenty-six or twenty-seven years.” from APPENDIX of Anthony Campagna Autobiography

Anthony Campagna Autobiography

---

Unable to determine project for this listing; seems to have not been built – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is at 1071 5th Avenue and fills the entire block front; looks like Anthony Campagna may have purchased the lots and demolished the old buildings and then sold the empty land to the Guggenheim project.

NB 503-1928
Fifth Avenue, 1070; East 88th Street, 1
13-sty bk & stone apt, 25×92
Cost:
$300,000
Owner:
Ads. Bldg. Corp., J. Eisner, pres, 286 Bway
Architect:
J. E. R. Carpenter, 598 Madison av
Address in Real Estate Record:
88TH ST, 1 E; 5TH AV, 1070

NB 457-1902
Fifth Avenue, 1072, 1073
two 5½-sty brk and stone dwellings, 15.4×80
Cost:
$200,000
Owner:
John C Umberfield, 305 W 105th st
Architect:
Wm Sanger, 123 E 23d [23rd] st
Address in Real Estate Record:
5th av, Nos 1072 and 1073

NB 469-1928
Fifth Avenue, 1073-1075
13-sty bk apt, 86×90
Cost:
$600,000
Owner:
1074 5th Ave. Corp., Anthony Campagne, pres, 551 5th [Fifth] av
Architect:
Rosario Candela, 578 Madison av
Address in Real Estate Record:
5TH AV, 1073-1075

NB 582-1924
Fifth Avenue, 1074
14-sty bk apt, tile rf, 60×80
Cost:
$600,000
Owner:
1074 5th Av. Corp., Anthony Compagna, pres, 200 W 72d [72nd]
Architect:
Geo. F. Pelham, 200 W 72d [72nd]
Address in Real Estate Record:
5TH AV, 1074

NB 440-1926
$0.00
5TH [Fifth] AV, 1074 15-sty apt 86˙91
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) 1074 5th Ave. Corp., Anthony Campagna, pres / (o) 200 W 72d [72nd] COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) J. E. R. Carpenter, Pleasants Pennington & Albert Wm. Lewis / (a) 250 Park av (source)

NB 27-1952
Fifth Avenue, 1071
7-sty bk museum, 127×128
Cost:
$2,000,000
Owner:
Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation, Albert E Thiele, v-pres, 1071 5th [Fifth] av
Architect:
Frank L Wright, 570 Lexington av
Address in Real Estate Record:
5TH AV, 1071

---

Unable to determine project for this listing:
327-1929
$1,100,000.00
PARK AV, 799-803, & 74TH ST, 101-05 E 18-sty & p h bk & t c tnt, 100˙90
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Anthony Campagna / (o) 551 5th [Fifth] av COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) Rosario Candela / (a) 578 Madison av (source)

---

Unable to determine project for this listing (address seems to land between two blocks 330 – 340):
44-1933
$500.00
PARK AV, 332-338 1-sty bk club, 7˙50 – possible a temporary workhouse structure for $500
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Pan Camp Corp., Anthony Campagna, pres (l) Thos. Kenyon / (o) 551 5 [Fifth] av (l) 1135 Boynton av COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) Oscar Goldschlag / (a) 131 W 38 (source)

---

Unable to determine project for this listing (doesn’t seem to have been built; current building belongs to NYU): House of Genius
155-1945
$1,350,000.00
WASHINGTON SQ, S, THOMPSON ST, 3D [3RD] ST, W & WEST BWAY, the blk 14-sty bk apt, 170˙209
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) 61 Washington Sq. Inc., Anthony Campagna, pres / (o) 654 Mad av COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) Rosario Candella / (a) 110 E 42 (source)

---

From Anthony Campagna’s autobiography page 18 “…I advised them to consult Gustave Fleischmann, late president of the Ninth Federal Savings and Loan Associaion, of which I have been a director for a number of years.”

On April 29, 1929 The New York Times announced “in a transaction involving nearly $4,000,000, the Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church has sold its present building and site on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and Sixtieth Street and purchased a larger site in the same block at the northwest corner of Park Avenue and Sixtieth Street.”  The following day the newspaper ran the headline “Office Skyscraper to Replace Church; Campagna Building will Rise on Madison Avenue M. E. Site.”

But fate had other ideas.  The church sat vacant and neglected for years; The New York Times explaining that the Campagna development firm faced “delays due to depression and war.”  Finally in 1941 things seemed to be progressing when Robertson’s striking building was demolished to make way for the long awaited Campagna Building.
The Lost Madison Avenue M.E. Church – Madison Ave at 60th Street

Piazza Antonio Campagna in Castelmezzano (mentioned HERE)

Title Riverdale Towers Cooperative Apartments, W. 231 Street And Henry Hudson Parkway, Typical Floor Plan Library Location Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University Architect Candela, Rosario Owner/Agent 3103 Fairfield Avenue, Inc.; Campagna, Michael A.; Campagna, Joseph A.; Campagna, Armino A. Call Number YR.0363. BX Format printed ephemera City New York (N.Y.)Digital York Real Estate Brochures Collection New York Real Estate Brochure Collection Date[192–197-]Shelf Location Item no. 4, Call no. YR.0363.BX.004Identifiernyre_item_039833; 43c1548c-c7dd-4a0c-8e7c-abcb05491bbcDOIdoi:10.7916/D8HD9BGN (source)

“Anthony and Maria Campagna had a beautiful, unpretentious home by the sea in Spring Lake, New Jersey as well as a big home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They also had a home in Chappaqua, New York with a tennis court. When they lived in Spring Lake, he used to appear on the boardwalk with my sister Helen and Iu were on the beach with Peggy Campagna, my mother, Theresa and Joe Miele. Many times, Anthony would appear there dressed to the hilt with jacket and tie. He looked completely out of place and all the kids would all laugh like hell at him because he looked so strange. He looked like an ambassador going to a formal function in the middle of the day. That’s the way he was, very formal looking and very articulate.

Anthony used to give the eulogies at all the family funerals. At the end, I went to someone’s funeral and he broke down in the eulogy and said “I don’t think I can do this again at my age as I am too emotionally disturbed by it.” Years before that, they used to rent houses in Avon, next to Asbury Park and from there they all moved to the next town which was Belmar. When Belmar became strictly Jewish, they moved to Spring Lake. Some of them went to Sea Girt, as did my sister, Helen ad her husband Jim. When I was about five or six years old, I would visit Uncle Anthony and Aunt Marie in Spring Lake during the summer. At the time, my mother was divorced and we lived in Riverdale in a very big mansion estate. They owned a LaSalle, a very expensive car, at the time. On my visits, I didn’t see too much of Uncle Anthony as he went to work at his office but I spent a lot of time with Aunt Marie. Her eyes were slanted so she really looked like she was oriental. She was slight in build and very affluent looking. Marie was very particular about cleaning, as were all five Paterno sisters. At her home in Spring Lake, Marie would have the furniture taken outdoors and have it washed with a hose, which would ruin furniture, such as dressers. She was the most aloof of the sisters and reclusive. Marie was also very independent.” John Joseph Ciluzzi [1923-2017] Recollections • Dated August 2002 • From Kelley Paterno’s book Page 407