This historic mansion, one of a pair, stands at an ideal location, just off Fifth Avenue and Central Park. At 28 feet in width, 102 feet in length and with approximately 16,000 square feet dispersed over six stories above grade plus an English basement and a cellar, 12 East 79th Street possesses an impeccable provenance and stellar address on a landmark block bordering the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  12 East 79th Street and its twin, 14 East 79th Street, were designed in 1901 as a 56 foot pair of mansions by Boston architect Arthur Little for Charles W. Ogden and his sister Mary F. Ogden. Integrating a classic American Neo-Federal profile with distinctive English Georgian motifs, Mr. Little enlivened a faade of buff Roman brick with Ionic porticos, limestone trim and broad low stoops, to convey an impression of urbane elegance.Traversing the portico, one ascends a handsome staircase, arriving in the first floor reception gallery flanked by a splendid oval meeting room and a graceful bow-front study. The next level offers a monumental drawing room, the Ogden Library, spanning the 28 foot width of the dwelling, and the resplendent White Room, originally the mansion ballroom. The ensuing four stories contain eight enormous bedrooms. A 67 foot roof with miles of sunny city views crowns the structure. The ample English basement, brightened by large windows, includes a staff dining room, kitchen and lounge. A cellar occupies the lowest level.For all time, the choicest plot of land for elegant single-family dwellings in New York City, is how the New York Times described East 79th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Then known as the Cook Block, the terrain was once a rugged tract called Lenox Farm in the 18th C. Enriched by the railroads he developed, Captain - as he wished to be addressed - Henry Cook arrived at Fifth Avenue and 79th Street in the late 19th C. where he subjected future neighbors - Stuyvesants, Dukes and Whitneys - to a rigorous admissions process before allowing them to buy into his domain.Charles Walton Ogden made the grade, purchasing lots at 12 and 14 East 79th Street in 1900. He created two complimentary structures within a majestic symmetrical faade. On a block lined by the most imposing series of townhouses preserved in all of New York City, 12 East 79th Street has few peers for those qualities which define great residential architecture.