"[117][213] Two years later, H. W. Fabian referred to the Dakota as the "most excellent of any of the kind in New York",[53][214] and M. G. Van Renneslaer said the Dakota was the only apartment building she had ever seen that "merits praise". Renovation workersreported spectral activity in the 1960s. [218], Some critics also made commentary about specific architectural elements of the Dakota. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The ceiling was also made of carved English oak. 15A19, 4165, and 101103 West 73rd Street are still extant. Elizabeth Cochran Seaman) and Henry Hardenberg from Wikipedia, as is octagon images of Roosevelt/Blackwells Island and Strawberry Fields memorial. The Dakota apartment building is one of the most architecturally significant places in New York City. The opportunity to move to America. [17][30] There are metal gates on either end of the vestibule. It's possible that the ghost John Lennon talked about seeing made appearances in front of several other people. In fiction of the period, such as that by Edith Wharton, the architect is a vibrant, energetic culture hero who is sweeping away the old and making way for the new. What research did you do? [145] The residents announced plans to buy the building from the Glickman Corporation in April 1961 for $4.8 million. After filming wrapped, several people involved in the production company started experiencing very odd events. [38][76] Some tenants, most of whom were friends of Stephen Clark, did not pay rent at all. It's also intriguingfor a few darker reasons, most notably as the backdrop to John Lennon's murder. [53] Clark's apartment on the sixth floor had 18 rooms, 17 fireplaces, and a drawing room that rivaled the design of the ground-floor dining room. [152] The Dakota was also added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972[2] and was re-added to the NRHP as a National Historic Landmark in 1976. I found Sara to be extremely likable, sympathetic, relatable, and quite strong. The Address Davis, Fiona, 1966- "After a failed apprenticeship, working her way up to head housekeeper of a posh London hotel is more than Sara Smythe ever thought she'd make of herself. [23] The Dakota's board also voted in 1975 to ban the installation of air conditioners that protruded through the building's facade, since the LPC would have to approve every air conditioner that was installed. [64], The building also had common spaces shared by all residents, including a dining room and a ballroom. To say I am fascinated in psychiatryespecially historical psychiatryis a bit of an understatement. Change). Other decorations included wood-burning fireplaces with tiled hearths; brass fixtures; and carved mirrors and mantels. [222] Numerous replicas of the building have been created, including a model at Legoland Florida, as well as merchandise such as tissue boxes. [18][23][24] The construction process involved several contractors including stonemason John L. Banta, plumber T. Brieu, iron supplier Post & McCord, carpenter J. L. Hamilton, stonework supplier J. Gillis Se Son and Henry Wilson, and woodwork contractor Pottier & Stymus. He was born in Paris in 1876, and studied architecture under Stanford White, and later became a member of the firm of McKim, Mead and White. William Craig Camden. They were the first of many toclaimthat the ghost ofa girl with blonde hair hung out in the hallways. Two generations ago, Baileys grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden. [50], The Dakota's board of directors announced in 1974 that the roof would need to be replaced, since the slate tiles had started to fall off and the copper trim had deteriorated. The opportunity to move to America. [25][30][64][b] The superstructure includes rolled steel beams on each floor, spaced every 3 to 4ft (0.91 to 1.22m) and measuring 6 to 12in (150 to 300mm) deep. Leslie Lindsay: Fiona, its a pleasure to welcome you back to the blog couch. [15][113] Though the Clark family never denied this story,[65] its veracity is disputed, as contemporary publications did not discuss the building's remoteness. In a 1932 New Yorker article, the Dakota was described as being "as close to organic architecture as its most up-to-date neighbor: that is, they are both about fifty years away from the real thing". [24][1] The Dakota measures 185ft (56m) tall and was the tallest building in the neighborhood when it was constructed. [26][67][c] The initial plans had called for six[77][78] or eight apartments of about equal size on each of the seven lowest floors. But when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibilityno mean feat for a servant in 1884. [217], Praise for the building continued in later years. When a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house the Dakota, leads to a job offer for Sara Smythe, her world is suddenly awash in possibilityno mean feat for a servant in 1884. The row houses and the large apartment building were part of a larger plan that Clark had for the Upper West Side. [11][14] Christopher Gray of The New York Times described the Dakota as one of several apartment buildings that were famous enough "to maintain their names simply in common custom". [52] Some of the apartments also had balconies, which allowed apartment layouts to be further customized, while also blending in with the building's overall design. [118] Work on the Dakota was delayed in August 1883 when the plasterers went on strike to protest the employment of non-union laborers at the site. Fiona Davis:I am so glad you enjoyed it! : What do you find most rewarding about writing historical fiction? [18][29] The 72nd Street elevation also has a gable above the central entrance. A.I.A. It's impossible to verify what Lennon said he saw, but if the building holds a curse, there could be a connection. [53][56] The sidewalk was originally made of bluestone slabs. : In my former career, I was a child/adolescent psych R.N. [15] The building is on the crest of the West Side plateau, which overlooks much of Manhattan. [39], A glass breezeway ran along the western portion of the courtyard. The opportunity to move to America. WebThe Dakota in New York is Americas first luxury apartment building, designed by the architect Theodore Camden. [17][70][35] The servants' quarters had been converted into apartments by the 1950s. [26][67] The main section of the basement is directly under the courtyard and has an asphaltum floor. The kitchens had marble wainscoting and Minton tile, while the bathrooms contained porcelain bathtubs. [167] The others were 88 Central Park West, 101 Central Park West, the San Remo, and the Beresford. "[173][209] Investor and resident Buddy Fletcher filed a lawsuit in 2011, claiming that the board had made racist remarks against would-be residents on numerous occasions,[178][179] but a New York state judge dismissed Fletcher's suit in 2015. Clark announced plans for an apartment complex at the site in 1879 and work began in late October 1880. : Fiona, its been a pleasure. [69] According to historical records collated by historian Andrew Alpern, the Dakota's earliest residents were active in a variety of industries. [131] The Dakota's completion spurred the construction of other large apartment buildings in the area,[129][131] several of which were named after regions in the western United States. [32][114][141] For the next three decades, the Dakota remained largely unchanged,[76] and the building even retained its original elevators. [30][64] The floor surfaces consist of 9in-thick (23cm) earthen subfloors above 9-inch-thick slabs of concrete. [9][10] While most of the building contained fully-equipped apartments, with their own entrances and service elevators/stairs, part of the second floor was divided into smaller apartments and guest rooms. [69] Parlors were generally 25 by 40ft (7.6 by 12.2m). (I want it in hardback; its a challenging find). [164][165] The Dakota had 85 co-op units by the 2010s. [17][70] Ceiling heights ranged from 15ft (4.6m) at the first story to 12ft (3.7m) at the eighth story. L.L. [34] At a speech in December 1879, Clark told the West Side Association: "There are but few persons who are princely enough to wish to occupy an entire palacebut I believe there are many who would like to occupy a portion of a great building. In 1961, the Dakota's residents bought the building from the Clark family and converted it into a housing cooperative. WebFrom the author of The Dollhouse and The Masterpiece comes the compelling national bestselling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota--New York City's most famous residence. [14] The Dakota's board announced in 2002 that it planned to restore the interior courtyard, and it hired Higgins & Quasebarth as a consulting architect. [129] Even in 1890, the row houses on the same block were bringing more income than was the Dakota. The building had undergone many changes since it opened in 1884 on the edge of Central Park, back when the neighborhood was described by one newspaper as full of rocks, swamps, goats, and shanties. By the 1980s, a couple of tenants had torn down the period details from their apartments and replaced them with shag carpets and wall-to-ceiling mirrors. [35], The construction of Central Park in the 1860s spurred construction in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but similar development in the Upper West Side was slower to come. [4][7][8] The Dakota occupies a nearly square land lot with an area of 40,866sqft (3,796.6m2). [26][30][64] The perimeter walls tapered in thickness from 28in (710mm) at the first story to 16in (410mm) above the sixth story. [81] The Dakota's construction drawings are no longer extant, so the original arrangement of the apartments is known only from written descriptions. [106], Construction commenced at the end of October 1880. [40] The Dakota's courtyard originally contained two fountains, which doubled as skylights for the basement. [18][28][29] Some contemporary sources described the building as being ten stories high, including the raised basement,[17][30] while others classify the Dakota as being eight stories high. [48] The steam plant in the basement, as well as the building's eight hydraulic elevators, were powered by water that was collected from the roof and from underneath each apartment's radiators. [63] Inside the archway is a groin-vaulted vestibule that leads to the courtyard. [35][36] A writer for the American Architect and Building News described the Dakota's courtyard and similar spaces in other buildings as "a safe, pleasant and sheltered place, under the eye of the Janitor, where tenants can enter, but thieves cannot". L.L. [31] Due to the apartments' high ceilings, the Dakota's height was equivalent to that of a standard 15-story building. In 1884, a woman working at a hotel named Sara Smythe earns Theos respect and admiration, and he hires her to be the managerette of his new apartments, set to rival New Yorks famous Fifth Avenue. The upper-story servants' quarters contained dormitories, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and dryer rooms. While living in the Dakota Apartments, Lennon also gave an interview that included him reading a letter that predicted his untimely death. - An architect, died in New York City, March 1, 1924. A New York Herald Tribune article in 1929 noted that the Clarks have "for years resisted all attempts at purchase". Rosemary's Babyused the exterior of the Dakota building to depict The Bramford, whichwashome to someof the film's central characters. [35], The 72nd Street elevation contain projecting turrets, which rise the entire height of the facade. [83] Many of the original apartments have been subdivided over the years, though the Dakota's co-op board has endorsed numerous apartment renovations in which the original layouts were restored. The kitchens and bathrooms contained modern fixtures, though other decorations such as moldings, woodwork, and floor surfaces were similar to those in many row houses. [113][114][115] The more likely origin for the "Dakota" name was Clark's fondness for the names of the then-new western states and territories. In 1985, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities. [173], On numerous occasions, the board has refused to allow high-profile personalities to move into the building, including musicians Gene Simmons,[203] Billy Joel,[204] and Carly Simon,[205] as well as performers Madonna and Cher, baseball player Alex Rodriguez, and comedian Judd Apatow. [73] For each apartment, this provided the same amount of privacy as the entrances to typical brownstone row houses. In fact, Ive been searching for Nellie Blys TEN DAYS IN A MADHOUSE for years! Residents generally continued to live in the building for prolonged periods, and maintenance costs continued to increase. Six years before she died in an apparent suicide, she spent a few hours doing a photo shoot inside actress Judy Holliday's apartmentatthe Dakota. [49] There were also tennis and croquet courts within the garden. [60] The archway is flanked by pedestals with metal urns, and there are three windows in the upper portion of the archway. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Of course, any large and regal building that was constructed in the 1880sis likely to have been the scene ofat least a few disturbing incidents. We'll probably never know, but contractors who worked onHolliday's old apartment reported that it'shaunted. WebBut when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibility--no mean feat for a servant in 1884. Fresh out of rehab, the former party girl and interior designer is homeless, jobless and penniless. [18] Above the sixth story is a stone cornice, which separates the seventh story and the roof from the rest of the facade. The main entrance is a double-height archway on 72nd Street, which leads to the courtyard. Producer William Castle's misfortune came nextwith a severe case of kidney stones. [13] Major developments on the West Side were erected after the Ninth Avenue elevated line opened in 1879, providing direct access to Lower Manhattan. Been converted into apartments by the 1950s 26 ] [ 56 ] the Dakota apartment building were of... Bit of an understatement Henry Hardenberg from Wikipedia, as is octagon of! 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