New York City Structures: The George S. Bowdoin Stable

The George S. Bowdoin Stable AKA The Gabarron Foundation
149 East 38th Street
Year built: 1902
Architect: Ralph S. Townsend


NEW YORK—With all the fuss being kicked up about horse-drawn carriages in Midtown, it may be hard to believe that in the late 1800s it was recorded that there were 73,746 horses in New York City. Those horses needed stables to be kept in and cared for and nearly 5,000 stables existed in the city at that time. Few remain, and of those that do, even fewer have seen the likes of a horse for some time now.

The George S. Bowdoin Stable on East 38th Street between Lexington and Third avenues is an excellent and whimsical example of what a horse stable can be. Built in 1902 for William Martin, a wealthy businessman and real estate developer, it was purchased in 1907 by George S. Bowdoin, who lived in the area at Park Avenue and 36th Street. The building remained in the Bowdoin family until 1944, having been converted to a garage in 1917. It has been known as the Bowdoin Stable for many years.

Architect Ralph S. Townsend apparently had great fun designing the richly decorated two-and-half-story building. The Dutch revival facade has a stepped gable decorated with limestone scrolls and capped with an arch at the center peak. The quioning and voussoirs, the wedge shaped elements above the doors and windows, are oversized and brightly contrast the rich red-brick facade.

But the real fun is in the sculptures. A snarling bulldog head is placed top and center, as if to say there will be no funny business tolerated in this place. Below the menacing canine is an oval window framed in a richly carved cartouche in high relief; as are separate cartouches for the street address, with a tiny angel peering out from above, and a vertical one bearing the date the building was built. Fittingly, at the far left and right just above the first floor are two horse heads popping out of wreathes.

The building has been used in the past as a private residence and then as a center for a nonprofit agency. Since 2002, it has been The Gabarron Foundation Carriage House Center for the Arts, which seeks “to promote the cultural wealth and identity of both Spain and America, as well as the legacy of those lands and their peoples,” according to their website.

The two-story museum and event space is currently showing works by artist Jovenes Creadores on the main floor and in the permanent collection on the second floor are paintings and sculptures by the Spanish artist and the foundation’s co-creator Cristobal Gabarron.

The George S. Bowdoin Stable is a New York City Landmark.