Gilded Age Mansion That Arm & Hammer Founder Built With His Baking Soda Fortune Seeks a New Owner for $7.25 Million

A rare opportunity to own a piece of America’s luxury history has come on the market in the form of a $7.25 million Gilded Age mansion that was built by the baking soda baron who founded Arm & Hammer.

The six-bedroom, five-bathroom Harlem townhouse, which boasts nearly 10,000 square feet of living space, was built in 1890 for businessman John Dwight, the brains behind one of the country’s oldest and most recognizable consumer companies.

When it was designed by architect Frank Hill Smith, the property epitomized the wealth and luxury that abounded during the Gilded Age. However, unlike many similar properties of that era, this home boasts one rare amenity for New York City: ample natural light.

While many townhomes have windows only at the front and back of the property, this home’s plum corner lot means that it is flooded with natural light on three sides via 52 separate windows.

“It’s amazing to think that Dwight financed it with his baking soda, Arm & Hammer,” says listing agent Paula Del Nunzio, of Luxury Portfolio International and Brown Harris Stevens.

Remarkably, though the home has an incredible heritage and has attracted a lot of interest, it has struggled to find a buyer during the 20-plus months it has spent on the market.

An example of the neo-Renaissance Revival Style, the property was meticulously renovated.

The sellers, who have owned the home for 15 years, focused on restoring the mechanical systems and returning the floor plan to its original state.

“They wanted to restore [it] to what it originally was, when it was built in 1890,” says Del Nunzio. “That meant taking down walls and putting back baths to where they originally were. They have photographs of all the rooms and how they originally were.”

Their work earned them the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award in 2022. A key reason was their hiring choice of architect Samuel G. White, the great-grandson of Stanford White, who also modernized the elder White’s Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, NY, a Gilded Age estate built for John Jacob Astor IV.

Still, it could well be that these historical renovations have only served to turn off buyers who are looking for a more modern property that will not require further work.

In this case, the home will likely need several additional updates—including the installation of air conditioning and repairs to the elevator.

“Most of the interest is [coming from people who are] very keen to have the past preserved but they’d like to complete the renovation—the elevator and central air perhaps,” says Del Nunzio.

“It functions well, but the degree of technology is not highly sophisticated. It’s not lights with dimmers. It’s like living in England. The people that own it are very English-oriented. They also have room in this house for a 10,000-book library.”

Other amenities you won’t find in many other local homes that bring this listing into spectacular territory are a wine cellar, double-door entrance, multiple fireplaces, an outdoor terrace, two staircases, two laundry rooms, and two kitchens.

The prospect of modernizing the home has been a deterrent—but not completely impossible.

“What happened here is COVID came along,” says Del Nunzio. “Homes that require no renovation or minimal renovation became more popular. The good architects were busy, and the good contractors were busy. Some people decided to wait until things shifted, or find something else.”

Even so, the listing has attracted several potential buyers connected to nearby Columbia University.

“Professors and benefactors tend to like the real estate in this area,” says Del Nunzio, noting the neighborhood’s “amazing architecture.”

That it’s across the street from Morris Park and features the aforementioned 52 windows means there are nature views from nearly every room.

“You have nothing blocking (it),” says Del Nunzio. “The windows in this house are not the normal size. They’re huge.

“The target buyer has to be somebody who’s wealthy and creative,” she says. “They can make it theirs. They can design it for their future.”