The Brokaw Mansion used to stand at the corner of 79th and Fifth, but 50 years ago, demolition started. Built by Isaac Vail Brokaw, a clothing merchant with a rags-to-riches life story, the turreted home was modeled after a 16th-century Loire Valley chateau, even though it was completed in 1890. The outcry over the impending demolition made headlines. Though the mansion wasn't saved, it helped spark the passage of New York City's landmarks law, which preserves historic buildings to this day.
