Michael Paterno Architecture

Michael and his wife Anna had a grandiose place in Irving-on-the-Hudson. The couple had an extraordinary collection of fine old paintings that would have done justice to an art gallery. (Kelley Paterno page 253 – borrowed from Michael J. Paterno’s book page 11)

Rosario Candela also designed several other one-family houses including one for Michael Paterno in Irvington, New York, in 1925. (Alpern Acanthus page 25)

M.E. PATERNO DIES; A NOTABLE BUILDER; Erected Many Cooperative Dwellings Here–Expended $6,000,000 on One Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. July 15, 1946

1930 Michael E. Paterno, esq., residence, J.E.R. Carpenter, architect, number 5010 at 60 East 42nd Street (Lincoln Building), New York City: “Florentine Door” in bronze repousse hand engraved and enriched with inlays of silver and gold. (Interior Architecture & Decoration, May 1931, p. 100; Yearbook of the Architectural League of New York Annual Exhibition, 1931 cat. 28; Architecture Magazine, October 1934, p. 208.)

Steel, bronze, silver; stamped inscription, “OSCAR BACH FECIT 1930” at lower left.83 1/2 x 37 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches – Special commission by New York builder, Michael Paterno for the entrance to his penthouse residence at the Lincoln Building, 60 East 42nd Street, New York, NY (J.E.R. Carpenter, architect). Michael E. Paterno was a builder of prominence and partner in the firm Paterno Bros. Appropriately Bach depicts Paterno as an old world master builder standing before a view of medieval Florence within a field of silver fleur-de-lyses, holding a Gothic campanile and pair of dividers. A large medallion representing Duke of Florence, Alessandro de’ Medici, rests on the figure’s chest and around his waist hangs a lavish belt with a fanciful mask buckle. Bach’s Italian inscription honoring Michael Paterno by name as a “nobile” and “genio” master builder borders the main panel with tools of the trade featured in each corner. The verso is a framed panel design with a central fleur-de-lys motif. The door retains its original bronze frame incised with an Art Deco zigzag pattern. Almost all elements are wax cast and applied with varying brown chemical patinas and pigmented lacquer. Grotesque lever handle, working vertical letter slot and hinged keyhole cover are also preserved. Stamped OSCAR BACH FECIT 1930. – Private Collection, Richmond, VA (OscarBach.org)

August 2022 – I was contacted by Christopher M. Nalley via this website. He collects the work of Oscar Bruno Bach (1884-1957). Christopher writes: “Bach was a Polish immigrant who became a noted and highly successful designer and crafter of metal objects, sometimes combined with wood or marble elements. His studio was in NYC, and for a period he maintained a studio in Florence Italy. Oscar Bach’s studio produced a wide array of furniture, lamps and other domestic and commercial items. He also had many commissions from wealthy patrons for gates, railings and other decorative embellishments for their mansion homes (for example, the Scripps mansion, Philbrook, Cranbrook and the Ringling mansion). Additionally, Bach won numerous commissions to design and fabricate metal features for public institutions, churches, temples and high rise buildings. Oscar Bach produced metal work for The Empire State Building (notably the amazing metal mural in the lobby depicting the building with light rays emanating from its structure), The Chrysler Building, The Woolworth Building and the Temple El Emannuel. His work employed bronze, silver, pewter and other alloys. Bach was renowned for his metal joinery, patinas and finishes. Oscar Bach’s design influences were diverse, ranging from revival styles to art deco to machine age motifs and wholly original imaginings. 

In 1929, Michael Paterno commissioned Oscar Bach to design and craft a bronze door for the entrance to his penthouse on the 50th floor of The Lincoln Building in NYC which is regarded as one of New York’s finest luxury high rises of the early 20th Century. Bach fashioned the beautiful bronze door with Mr. Paterno depicted as a Florentine nobleman sporting a Medici medallion and with a Renaissance period cityscape in the background and a field of silvered bronze fleur-de-lis. The back of the door is brass with a large fleur-de-lis in the center. The door was signed by Oscar Bach and dated 1930.

At some point, the door was removed from The Lincoln Building and installed in an Italian restaurant in New Jersey. The door ended up in storage for some years. It was eventually purchased by a friend of mine, Bill Royall and installed in Bill’s Tudor revival home in Richmond, Virginia. Bill built an impressive collection of Oscar Bach’s work. Sadly, Bill passed away a couple of years ago. I acquired the Paterno door through Rago Auctions. It came with the original door jambs! I have subsequently acquired a number of photos and postcards depicting The Lincoln Building. I even have a small, highly detailed pewter scale model obtained from www.replicabuildings.com. I bought the license to the Getty image of the door in situ in the penthouse, in part, in the hope that I someday will write a book about Oscar Bach and perhaps organize a museum exhibit. I have the door installed at the end of a hallway on the second floor of my Renaissance Revival home in Louisville, Kentucky. The door is extremely heavy. You would have marveled watching the movers heave it up the stairs. My collection also includes an Oscar Bach gate from the New York Bank & Trust Company, circa 1929.

From what I have read, Michael Paterno was a talented and remarkable individual and an important contributor to New York history. I am proud to own such a grand object as Oscar Bach’s Paterno door. I believe it was one of his masterpieces.”

For those seeking the best of both worlds, look no further than this exquisite Mediterranean estate that offers opulent yet sustainable living just 19 miles outside of Manhattan, in Irvington, Westchester County.

Built in 1912 and lavishly restored, the former home of famed New York City luxury developer Michael E. Paterno features seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, soaring beamed ceilings, a gorgeous marble foyer, original stained glass windows, doors, and plaster work, numerous fireplaces, Juliet balconies, and a terra cotta roof, all spread over 11,357 square feet. (Curbed.com) – many more photos, interior and exterior, at this link

“It is clear that Rosario Candela was not the architect when the home at 2 Retiro Lane was first built in 1912.   Candela was born in 1890 and apparently only graduated from the Columbia University School of Architecture in 1915.   Therefore, to the extent he worked on the home, it appears to have been as the architect for Michael Paterno after Paterno bought the home in late 1924 and refurbished it in early 1925.

It appears that your 2nd Great Uncle Michael Paterno purchased the house in late 1924 through 1101 Park Avenue Corporation, a corporate entity that he controlled.” Chet Kerr, Board of the Irvington Historical Society