Urban Renewal

Across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, facing Central Park, are blocks of townhouses which are something like a slice of an old European city set down in NYC. They are generally late nineteenth century and quite elaborate - some of them have been turned into embassies etc., but there are still many that are occupied by single families. Something that is commonly done by this crowd is to completely gut renovate the building at every turnover. Typically, the entire interior is ripped out and rebuilt with the most state-of-the-art modern comforts and completely refurnished with the most extravagantly expensive antiques and/or fine interior decoration. Because of divorce, death, remarriage, the rise and fall of fortunes, these places do turn over usually about once every three years. It seems a shame that all the work that has been put into these fine homes is not preserved, but the city thrives on providing luxury services to this ever growing elite, and the wealth keeps expanding and changing hands frequently as it has always done in NYC. Here is an example of one of these streets and the corner house which had workmen inside going about their business of interior demolition...