Francis H. Kimball (September 24, 1845 – December 20, 1919) was a prominent American architect whose work spanned ecclesiastical buildings, clubs, and some of New York's most ambitious early skyscrapers. In the Flatiron District, he and his collaborator Harry E. Donnell designed the Renaissance Revival building at 225 Fifth Avenue that stands today as the luxury condominium known as The Grand Madison.
Completed in 1906–1907 on the north side of Madison Square Park, the building rose on the site of the fashionable old Hotel Brunswick and was known for decades as the Brunswick Building. With its rusticated base, arcaded loggia, and powerful cornice, it remains one of the most dignified structures facing the park. This is a lasting example of Kimball's command of the Renaissance Revival style.
| Full name | Francis H. Kimball |
| Born / Died | September 24, 1845 / December 20, 1919 |
| Profession | Architect |
| Active in Flatiron | 1900s (the Brunswick Building, now The Grand Madison, completed 1906–1907) |
| Known for | The Brunswick Building (now The Grand Madison), the Montauk Club in Brooklyn, 111 Broadway |
| Key Flatiron location | 225 Fifth Avenue (The Grand Madison), facing Madison Square Park |
| Notable legacy | Co-designed the Renaissance Revival landmark on Madison Square Park that is now The Grand Madison |
Who Was Francis?
Francis Hatch Kimball was born on the 24th of September in 1845 and became one of the most versatile and accomplished architects of America’s Gilded Age. He trained in part in England, where he absorbed the rich detailing of High Victorian Gothic, before establishing a practice in the United States. Early in his career, he was known for ornate churches and theaters, but he grew increasingly fluent in the Renaissance Revival idiom that defined turn-of-the-century commercial New York.
Kimball became especially noted for his skill at engineering and cladding tall buildings during the first great age of the skyscraper. Among his celebrated works are the Montauk Club in Brooklyn’s Park Slope, the office tower at 111 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, and the now-demolished City Investing Building near the old Singer Tower. He frequently collaborated with other architects and engineers, and several of his most prominent commissions carry a partner’s name alongside his own.
By the early 1900s, Kimball was at the height of his powers, entrusted with major Manhattan commissions. He died close to Christmas Day, 1919, leaving behind a body of work that helped define the look of New York at the moment it became a city of towers.
Francis H. Kimball's Connection to the Flatiron District
Kimball’s lasting Flatiron-area landmark is the building at 225 Fifth Avenue, on the north side of Madison Square Park between 26th and 27th Streets. Designed with Harry E. Donnell and completed in 1906–1907, it replaced the celebrated old Hotel Brunswick and was originally built as offices under the name the Brunswick Building. Its palazzo-style composition: a heavy rusticated base, an arcaded loggia, and a commanding cornice, gave the park one of its most stately frontages.
For much of the twentieth century, the building was famous as a showroom center for the gift and ceramics trade, earning it the nickname “the Gift Building.” In 2004, it was acquired and converted into condominium residences, and today it is known as The Grand Madison, one of the most prestigious addresses overlooking Madison Square Park, and the first building MeetFlatiron profiled in our Buildings series.
Legacy and Impact
The Grand Madison endures as one of the anchoring structures of Madison Square Park’s north side, a Renaissance Revival landmark that has moved gracefully through three lives: hotel replacement office building, gift-trade showroom, and luxury condominium. That continuity is a testament to the quality of Kimball and Donnell’s original design.
Kimball’s wider influence lies in his mastery of early skyscraper construction and his fluency across architectural styles. While several of his Manhattan towers have been demolished, the survival and careful restoration of 225 Fifth Avenue means his work still shapes one of the most photographed views in the neighborhood, the dignified wall of buildings rising along the park.
The stately building Francis Kimball designed on Madison Square Park has been a hotel replacement, a gift showroom, and now The Grand Madison, but its Renaissance Revival dignity has never faded.
Key Facts Worth Knowing
- 1845: Francis H. Kimball was born, later training in England before practicing in the United States.
- 1906–1907: Kimball and Harry E. Donnell completed the Brunswick Building at 225 Fifth Avenue.
- The building replaced the fashionable old Hotel Brunswick on the north side of Madison Square Park.
- For decades the structure served as a showroom center for the gift trade, nicknamed "the Gift Building."
- 2004: The building was acquired and converted into the condominium now known as The Grand Madison.
FIND THEIR LEGACY TODAY
- 225 Fifth Avenue (The Grand Madison) — Kimball and Donnell's Renaissance Revival building on the north side of Madison Square Park, between 26th and 27th Streets.
- Madison Square Park, north side — the best vantage point to take in the building's rusticated base, arcaded loggia, and cornice.
- 111 Broadway, Lower Manhattan — one of Kimball's surviving early skyscrapers, for anyone tracing his wider body of work.
Explore More of Flatiron's History
→ The Grand Madison — Our full review of the Kimball-and-Donnell building at 225 Fifth Avenue, now a luxury condominium on Madison Square Park.
→ Madison Square Park NYC: What to See, Eat & Do — The park Kimball's Renaissance Revival building has anchored for over a century.
→ Flatiron District Architecture Guide — The architectural legacy of the Gilded Age neighborhood where Kimball designed one of Madison Square's most dignified structures.
→ Gilded Age Social Clubs in Flatiron — The club culture that flourished alongside Kimball's architecture in turn-of-the-century Madison Square.
In Plain English
Francis H. Kimball was a prominent Gilded Age American architect. With Harry E. Donnell, he designed the Brunswick Building at 225 Fifth Avenue, completed around 1906–1907 on the north side of Madison Square Park. The Renaissance Revival landmark is now the luxury condominium The Grand Madison.
Frequently Asked Questions About Francis H. Kimball
Q: What did Francis H. Kimball design in the Flatiron District?
A: With his collaborator Harry E. Donnell, Kimball designed the Brunswick Building at 225 Fifth Avenue, completed around 1906–1907 on the north side of Madison Square Park. It stands today as the luxury condominium The Grand Madison.
Q: Why was the building at 225 Fifth Avenue called "the Gift Building"?
A: For much of the twentieth century the building served as the city's main showroom center for the ceramic and glass gift trade, earning it the nickname "the Gift Building" before its 2004 conversion to condominiums.
Q: When was The Grand Madison built?
A: The building was completed around 1906–1907 as the Brunswick Building, an office structure that replaced the old Hotel Brunswick. It was converted into the condominium now called The Grand Madison in 2004.
Q: Who designed The Grand Madison?
A: The original 1906–1907 building was designed by architects Francis H. Kimball and Harry E. Donnell in the Renaissance Revival style.
Q: Can you visit Francis Kimball's building today?
A: The exterior of The Grand Madison at 225 Fifth Avenue is freely visible from Madison Square Park and the surrounding sidewalks. As a private residential condominium, interior access is limited to residents and their guests.