The French-born Hubert and the New York City-native Pirrson, who was trained by an English architect, established their partnership around 1870; the former’s father was the architect and engineer Charles Antoine Colomb Gengembre, while the latter’s father was a well-connected "piano-forte manufacturer and musician who helped to found the
New York Philharmonic Society." Their partnership lasted until Pirrson’s death in 1888. The firm initially designed typical single-family rowhouses and tenements. However, the firm is credited with the Episcopal Church of the Blessed Disciple in 1870. Still listed as Hubert & Pirrson, the firm submitted designs for The Appleby in October 1879, a French flathouse on the southeast corner of West 58th Street and Seventh Avenue. "The
Queen Anne style, which characterizes this row, is an American variant of the interpretation of early 18th-century English brick architecture Specific details associated with this style include Tudor roses, sunflowers, multi-paneled wood doors and various classical motifs such as swags and wreaths, which often appear on the sheet-metal roof cornices. The characteristic details of the style were frequently combined with other architectural styles." ==Works of Hubert & Pirrson (1870-1888)==