At 72nd Street and Central Park West stands one New York's most well known residences: The Dakota. For the few who did not know of it, becoming John Lennon's home and site of his murder in 1980 catapulted it to international status. Even a book has been written about it. Completed in 1884, folklore has it that it was named because, at the time, the area was as remote from NYC's urban core as the Dakota Territory, and thus known as Clark's Folly (it was built for Edwin Clark, head of Singer Sewing Machine company, by architect Hardenbergh who also designed the Plaza Hotel). It's a spectacularly distinctive nine-story building with high gables, terracotta spandrels and panels, balustrades, balconies and a steeply pitched decorative slate and copper roof. It is built around a central courtyard with a large guarded entrance, originally designed to accommodate horse-drawn carriages. Based on Parisian models, the Dakota was a new concept in urban dwelling, with many affluent renters in one property with shared amenities. It was an immediate success and remains one of the most sought after properties in NYC, with many celebrities in its roster.
Friday, August 04, 2006
The Dakota
At 72nd Street and Central Park West stands one New York's most well known residences: The Dakota. For the few who did not know of it, becoming John Lennon's home and site of his murder in 1980 catapulted it to international status. Even a book has been written about it. Completed in 1884, folklore has it that it was named because, at the time, the area was as remote from NYC's urban core as the Dakota Territory, and thus known as Clark's Folly (it was built for Edwin Clark, head of Singer Sewing Machine company, by architect Hardenbergh who also designed the Plaza Hotel). It's a spectacularly distinctive nine-story building with high gables, terracotta spandrels and panels, balustrades, balconies and a steeply pitched decorative slate and copper roof. It is built around a central courtyard with a large guarded entrance, originally designed to accommodate horse-drawn carriages. Based on Parisian models, the Dakota was a new concept in urban dwelling, with many affluent renters in one property with shared amenities. It was an immediate success and remains one of the most sought after properties in NYC, with many celebrities in its roster.
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2 comments:
Le Dakota, La legende de J Lennon. Merci pour les photos
I was in NYC for the first time in May and went to the Dakota. I walked across the street to Strawberry Fields where I took 2 pictures. One of my father and I in front of the Strawberry Fields sign and the other of the "Imagine" medallion. When I got back home to Washington State and developed the pics, there was a red glow running through those two pictures. Out of six roles of film, ONLY those two pics had that red glow. I still can't believe I was there. It was beautiful.
Cecily McClanahan Camas, WA.
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