What are New York’s “Good Buildings?”
In 1985, Tom Wolfe wrote an Esquire article where he talked about 42 New York buildings as “Good Buildings.” For your curiosity, the list is below.
Now since I was too lazy to go back and find the original article, this list is via Stephen Gaines’ The Sky’s the Limit: Passion and Property in Manhattan. If you are reading this post you’ve probably already read this book, but if not, buy it here now.
Of course, the question arises “in a downturn, what holds its value?” In the early ’90s, for example, the Gold Coast of Greenwich Village held up well, but currently it feels like celebrities would rather like in 15 Central Park West than down there. So we’ll have to see; the future will come to us.
But do bear in mind that some of New York’s best (or at least most hyperexpensive) buildings are not on this list — and some of those that were at the time aren’t. No Dakota, no Forty Fifth Avenue.
1 Beekman Place
10 Gracie Square
1 East End Avenue
120 EEA
550 Park Avenue
555 Park
635 Park
640 Park
720 Park
730 Park
740 Park
765-75 Park
770 Park
778 Park
812 Park
810 Fifth Avenue
820 Fifth
825 Fifth
834 Fifth
953 Fifth
960 Fifth
998 Fifth
1020 Fifth
1030 Fifth
1040 Fifth
River House — 435 East 52nd Street
4 East 66th Street
131-5 East 66th
2 East 70th Street
4 East 72nd Street
19 East 72nd
36 East 72nd
117 East 72nd
160 East 72nd
50 East 77th Street
21 East 79th Street
39 East 79th
66 East 79th
79 East 79th
25 Sutton Place North
One Sutton Place South