With all the recent talk about the Clock Tower and Herzog and de Meuron's 56 Leonard Street and Rem Koolhaas's 23 East 22nd Street, we were threatening to go five whole minutes without discussing 15 Central Park West. Luckily for us, Vanity Fair has put Paul Goldberger's story about the Limestone Jesus online, and it's an absolute must-read, if only to see a larger version of the photo at right of architect Robert A.M. Stern standing triumphantly on the concierge desk. But in addition to that, there are fun facts galore: the Zeckendorfs originally asked six architects for proposals for the site, the building is covered in 85,000 pieces of limestone, there's a waiting room for chauffeurs, the walls are made of plasterboard, some tenants think the finishes suck, etc. And in explaining why this building, above all other newcomers, became the destination for the richest New Yorkers, Goldberger hits the nail square on the head: "The Zeckendorfs had figured out that nothing appeals to people, particularly rich people, like something new that doesn't look too new." Wait, so the Best Buy had nothing to do with it?
· The King of Central Park West [VF]
· Curbed's 15 Central Park West coverage [Curbed]
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