Handsome, superbly illustrated volume provides detailed mini-histories of some of New York's most luxurious lodgings: the stately Gramercy, the fashionably flamboyant Ansonia, the dramatic Hotel des Artistes, Joseph Pulitzer's palatial residence, magnificent Park Avenue apartments, and many others. 175 illustrations — many from private sources — depict both interiors and exteriors. Introduction. Index.
Explore the stunning architectural details and unique designs of New York City's most iconic apartment house entrances. This illustrated guide showcases the elegance and grandeur of these entryways, highlighting the stories and history behind each building. Perfect for architecture enthusiasts and urban explorers, the book captures the essence of the city's rich residential heritage through captivating visuals and insightful commentary.
The Dakota is arguably the best-known residential address in the world, home to dozens of New York City's most famous artists, performers, and successful executives. The rare sale of an apartment there, usually at jaw-dropping prices, is newsworthy, as is the financial and architectural health of the building itself, a landmark in every sense of the word. The first true luxury apartment house built in New York City, more than 130 years ago, the Dakota is still the gold standard against which all other apartment buildings are weighed. Historian Andrew Alpern tells the fascinating story of how the Dakota came to be, how Singer sewing magnate Edward Clark dared to build an apartment building luxurious enough to coax the city's wealthy from their mansions downtown for ultra-modern living on what was then the swamplands of the Upper West Side. Redrawn plans of the entire building, published here for the first time, show how Clark created apartments glamorous enough that they made living under a shared roof as acceptable in Manhattan as it already was in Europe's grand capitals, forever revolutionizing apartment life in New York City. This internationally renowned building is now accessible to us all—at least in print, if not in its ultraprivate and well-guarded reality.