-
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake The set of structures that today makes up the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia started out as a standalone residence commissioned by wealthy banker Francis F. Palmer in 1916. The gorgeous Georgian Federal-style dwelling, which took two years to complete, was designed by Manhattan’s distinguished Delano & Aldrich architecture firm. With five stories, a handsome brick and Tuscan marble exterior, mansard roof, and multitude of fireplaces, the abode is one of the city’s “most extensive early Twentieth Century town houses,” per the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Following Palmer’s passing, the residence was sold to George F. Baker Jr., another wealthy banker, in 1926. He promptly hired Delano & Aldrich to make several additions to the property, including a garage annex with servants’ quarters, a large wing with a ballroom and formal dining room, and an adjoining townhouse for his father to live in. (Sadly, the elder Baker passed away before it was completed.) The new structures complemented the original townhouse in design, layout and scope, forming a U shape around a flagstone garden courtyard situated on the residence’s south side.
Baker’s widow inherited the sprawling property upon his death in 1937 and eventually sold the original townhouse, the annex, and the ballroom wing portions to the Synod of Bishops in 1959. Though some changes were made to transform the site into a functional office complex for the Synod, the alterations honored the original design. The most distinct modification involved removing a portion of the large brick wall surrounding the courtyard, thereby opening it up to the street on its 93rd St. side. A grand wrought iron gate was installed at the aperture and a bifurcated staircase with matching wrought iron railings was constructed in the center of the courtyard for access to the property’s upper levels. The additions only served to beautify the locale.
-
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake The brick and marble facade, central courtyard, and front gate give the Synod of Bishops a very scholastic vibe, which has translated perfectly to the screen.
-
Image Credit: HBO -
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake As the esteemed Reardon School (which, according to Grace, boasts a $50,000-a-year tuition!), the Synod is featured regularly on “The Undoing.” It is in the courtyard that Grace and her friends drop their children off each morning and mingle to discuss the details surrounding the murder of Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis), whose son attends Reardon on scholarship, as the moms are wont to point out.
-
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Studios -
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake The courtyard is also where the “Manhattan Elite” regularly gather between classes on “Gossip Girl.” Four different locations were actually used to portray Constance Billard School for Girls/St. Jude’s School for Boys on the series. Along with the Synod’s courtyard, exteriors were also lensed at the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem and The Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn. Interior school scenes were shot on a soundstage-built set at Silvercup Studios in Queens.
-
Image Credit: HBO -
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake It is quite fitting that “The Undoing” producers chose to use the same school location as “Gossip Girl” being that Grace’s society friends are basically just Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and her minions all grown up. I half expect to see the Reardon moms show up for school drop-offs sporting thick headbands and cape coats!
-
Image Credit: NBCUniversal Television “The Undoing” and “Gossip Girl” are hardly the only credits to the Synod’s name. Earlier this year, the locale popped up as a – you guessed it! – private school on “The Sinner.” During the third season of the anthology series, it played The Briarton School, where Jamie Burns (Matt Bomer) teaches.
-
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Studios The Synod of Bishops portrays the ritzy residence of Nicholas Endicott (Dermot Mulroney) in the season one episode of “Prodigal Son” titled “Like Father . . . “ which also aired earlier this year.
-
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Studios And in 2017, it masqueraded as the Falcone Home and School for Orphans during several season four episodes of the Fox series “Gotham.”
-
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, aka The Reardon School from “The Undoing,” is located at 75 E. 93rd St. on New York’s Upper East Side.
For more Dirt on the Synod of Bishops, click over to the main page.