John Stewart Barney (October 12, 1867 – November 22, 1925) was an American architect and painter whose firm Barney & Colt designed the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue. Completed in 1912 in the NoMad neighborhood, the sixteen-story limestone-and-terra-cotta tower is one of the most ornate early skyscrapers in the district and was designated a New York City landmark in 2018.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, and educated at Columbia University and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Barney designed the Emmet Building with his partner Stockton B. Colt for Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, a prominent physician who kept an elaborate penthouse residence atop the building. Both Barney and Colt had trained in the office of the great architect George B. Post, a connection that links the Emmet Building to a wider lineage of New York skyscraper design.
| Full name | John Stewart Barney |
| Born / Died | October 12, 1867 / November 22, 1925 |
| Profession | Architect and painter |
| Active in Flatiron | 1911–1912 (the Emmet Building, 95 Madison Avenue) |
| Known for | The Emmet Building, the firm Barney & Colt, the earlier partnership Barney & Chapman |
| Key Flatiron location | 95 Madison Avenue (The Emmet Building), at East 29th Street |
| Notable legacy | Co-designed the richly ornamented Emmet Building, a NoMad landmark, before leaving architecture for painting |
Who Was John?
John Stewart Barney was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1867 and trained at Columbia University before studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the most prestigious architectural school of the era. Early in his career he worked as a draftsman in the office of George B. Post, one of the founding figures of the American skyscraper — an apprenticeship that shaped a generation of New York architects.
From the 1890s Barney practiced in partnership with Henry Otis Chapman as Barney & Chapman, a firm known for its medieval and Northern Renaissance Revival churches, hotels, and commercial buildings. After that partnership ended, Barney formed a new firm, Barney & Colt, with Stockton Beekman Colt, another Columbia graduate and former Post draftsman. The Emmet Building was among the first major works of their partnership.
Barney was also a serious painter, and around 1915 he made a striking career decision: he left architecture altogether to devote himself to fine art. He died in New York in 1925, remembered both as a designer of distinctive buildings and as an artist who chose the canvas over the drafting table.
John Stewart Barney's Connection to the Flatiron District
Barney’s enduring contribution to the neighborhood is the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue, at the corner of East 29th Street in NoMad. Designed with Stockton B. Colt and constructed between 1911 and 1912, the sixteen-story building was commissioned by Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, a celebrated gynecological surgeon and collector of Irish and American historical material who had lived on Madison Avenue for decades.
The building was unusual in its day. Its lower floors held offices and showrooms for the wholesale trades that filled the district in the early twentieth century, while Emmet himself occupied an elaborate penthouse apartment at the top — said to be among the first instances in New York of such a grand residential space crowning a commercial skyscraper. Richly clad in limestone and terra-cotta with Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Gothic ornament, the Emmet Building was designated a New York City landmark in 2018.
Legacy and Impact
The Emmet Building remains one of NoMad’s most distinctive early towers, a reminder of the era when the blocks north of Madison Square filled with ornate commercial buildings serving the wholesale trades. Its 2018 landmark designation secured its future and recognized the quality of Barney and Colt’s design.
Barney’s career also tells a more personal story about the architecture of the period — a Beaux-Arts-trained designer who passed through George B. Post’s influential office, built a distinguished body of work, and then walked away from the profession at its height to become a painter. The survival of the Emmet Building gives the neighborhood a tangible link to that singular career.
The Emmet Building crowned a commercial skyscraper with a doctor's lavish penthouse — and its architect, John Stewart Barney, would soon abandon architecture entirely for painting.
Key Facts Worth Knowing
- 1867: John Stewart Barney was born in Richmond, Virginia.
- Barney trained at Columbia University and the École des Beaux-Arts, and worked early on in the office of George B. Post.
- 1911–1912: Barney & Colt designed and built the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue.
- c. 1915: Barney left architecture to concentrate on fine art painting.
- 2018: The Emmet Building was designated a New York City landmark.
FIND THEIR LEGACY TODAY
- 95 Madison Avenue (The Emmet Building) — Barney & Colt's sixteen-story limestone-and-terra-cotta landmark at the corner of East 29th Street.
- Madison Avenue at East 29th Street — the NoMad corner where the building's ornate Neo-Renaissance facade is best appreciated.
- Madison Square North Historic District — the surrounding district of early commercial towers that the Emmet Building helped define.
Explore More of Flatiron's History
→ Stanford White — Barney trained under George B. Post alongside other architects who shaped the Flatiron District's Gilded Age skyline.
→ Flatiron District Architecture Guide — The ornate commercial towers of NoMad that Barney and his contemporaries helped define.
→ Flatiron District History — How the blocks north of Madison Square filled with the ornate commercial towers Barney designed.
→ Flatiron District Walking Tour — Walk past the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue and the NoMad landmarks of Barney's era.
In Plain English
John Stewart Barney was an American architect and painter. With his partner Stockton B. Colt, his firm Barney & Colt designed the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue in NoMad, completed in 1912 for Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet. The ornate sixteen-story building became a New York City landmark in 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions About John Stewart Barney
Q: What did John Stewart Barney design in the Flatiron and NoMad area?
A: Barney's firm, Barney & Colt, designed the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue, at the corner of East 29th Street in NoMad. It was built between 1911 and 1912 and designated a New York City landmark in 2018.
Q: Who commissioned the Emmet Building?
A: The building was commissioned by Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, a prominent gynecological surgeon and collector, who occupied an elaborate penthouse residence at the top while the lower floors held offices and showrooms.
Q: Who designed the Emmet Building?
A: The Emmet Building was designed by the firm of Barney & Colt — John Stewart Barney and Stockton Beekman Colt — both of whom had trained in the office of architect George B. Post.
Q: Why did John Stewart Barney leave architecture?
A: Around 1915, Barney left the practice of architecture to devote himself to fine art painting, a pursuit he had maintained alongside his architectural career. He died in New York in 1925.
Q: Can you visit the Emmet Building today?
A: The exterior of the Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue is freely visible from the street and is protected by its 2018 New York City landmark designation.