Dakotans, it sometimes seems, live in a kind of dream. In 1970 a novel by Jack Finney called Time and Again was published, which used the Dakota as its principal setting. Time and Again involved a science-fictional journey backward in time and, in the process, several facts got a bit twisted. (The time of the novel was a year before the Dakota was even built, for example.) To some people the Dakotans today are living in a similar world of fiction, make-believe and magic. At every board meeting new and more fanciful suggestions for “improving” the Dakota are proposed—a rooftop garden with pergolas and trees and shaded walks, a swimming pool, a private night club, and—again and again—the matter of the expensive and much-needed face cleaning. In the end, all the fine notions prove too impractical, too expensive, or both, and nothing comes of them. To the outside observer the building grows darker and dingier as the years speed by.
Of course the kind of rich the Dakota attracts today—that high-intensity, high-profile variety of rich—is not known for fiscal astuteness. These are not Rockefellers or Vanderbilts or Astors who amass huge fortunes and store them away in unshatterable trusts for future unborn generations. The Dakota’s rich are the kind who install saunas and Jacuzzi whirlpool baths, buy Rolls-Royces and summer places in the Hamptons and, at the same time, have trouble paying both the maintenance and the milkman. Faith supports them, rather than intelligence or foresightedness.
Every community has its myths, and the Dakota is no exception. Scarsdale and Palm Springs both believe absolutely that their community is the richest-per-capita community in the world. (Neither is.) Philadelphians confidently believe that their city is “the second largest in the United States.” (It isn’t.) The Dakotans continue to believe that, for one, theirs was the first luxury apartment house in America, though it wasn’t, and, for two, that—as the Daily Graphic put it—the Dakota is “the most perfect apartment house in the world.”
Well, it is if you think it is. That’s faith.
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.
Image Gallery
Edward Clark
Isaac Merritt Singer
The Dakota
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh
Skating on the lake near the Dakota, c. 1890
Steinway and Sons
Some well-known tenants of the Dakota: Boris Karloff, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Lauren Bacall, Roberta Flack.
Index
Adams, James Truslow, 11
Adams sisters, 47
Agnelli, Gianni, 216
Allen, Calvin H., 47
Ashley, Ted, 85
Astor, John Jacob, 8, 14
Astor, John Jacob, III, 7
Astor, Mrs. William, 12, 14, 30, 31, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 64, 141, 214, 228
Astor family, 5, 19, 43, 44, 64, 233
Bacall, Lauren, 85, 89, 91, 106, 121, 132, 133–34, 146, 155, 173, 191, 195, 205, 207, 212, 215, 216, 218
Bartholdi (sculptor), 29
Bates, C. F., 47, 141, 144
Beane, George, 208
Beatles, 185-86
Belmont, Mrs. August, 141
Belmont, August, 19, 30, 53
Belmont family, 30, 65
Bennett, Ward, 69, 111, 131, 159, 198
Bergen, Candace, 215
Bernstein, Leonard, 85, 155, 163, 210, 216
Bernstein, Mrs. Leonard, 85, 155–56
Billings, C. K. G., 212
Bingham, Joan, 210
Blackwell, Earl, 214, 230
Blanchard, Henry, 59, 70, 91, 110, 118, 121, 157, 195, 198–99, 202, 210
Blanchard, Mrs. Winifred Cecil, 70, 76, 91, 96, 110, 121, 157, 188, 198, 199, 210
Bloeme, Mrs. Allyn, 113–14
Bluebond-Langner, Myra, 148–49
Bodkin, Winifred, 168–74, 176, 179, 209, 213, 215
Brandon, Ruth, 26
Bridgeman, Reverend C. DeWitt, 183-84
Bridgeman, Theodore, 184
Browning, Adele, 45, 65, 112–13, 121–22, 123, 124, 158, 223
Browning, Edna, 45, 112–13, 121, 123, 158, 223
Browning, John, 45, 121, 122
Browning, Mrs. John, 121
Brownlee, John, 85
Brynner, Yul, 216
Burden, Carter and Amanda, 85, 192
Burrows, Abe, 216
Cadaval, Duke and Duchess de, 216
Cameron, Sir Roderick, 43
Cammeyer, Alfred J., 47
Cantor, Arthur, 85
Capote, Truman, 193
Carlson, Mrs. Eileen, 193, 204, 217
Carlson, Robert, 204, 217
Carnegie, Andrew, 49, 51
Carroll, Sidney, 217
Carter, Jimmy, 78, 204, 221
Chayefsky, Paddy, 216
Church, Benjamin, 31
Cigogna, Countess Gioconda, 216
Clark, Alfred Corning, 41
Clark, Mrs. Alfred Corning, 51
Clark, Mrs. Caroline, 24, 27, 29, 31
Clark, Edward, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21–32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42–43, 49, 51, 59, 79-80, 98, 173, 189, 227, 228
Clark, Edward Severin “Severino,” 41, 42, 64, 68, 102–3, 160, 172, 177
Clark, F. Ambrose, 174
Clark, Mrs. Jennifer Miller, 174
Clark, Severino, see Clark, Edward Severin “Severino”
Clark, Stephen C., 86, 88, 94, 102, 103–4, 174
Clark, Mrs. Susan, 88, 92, 128
Clark family, 39, 42, 47, 71, 86, 88, 90, 92, 102, 127, 128, 160, 169, 205
Clooney, Rosemary, 85
Cohan, George M., 120
Cooke, Rosa F. Huyler, 174
Coykendall, Frederick, 179–81
Coykendall family, 180
Cozzens, James Gould, 222
Crane, Stephen, 46
Crate, Mrs. M. A., 63
Crewe, Robert, 185
Cronyn family, 214
Crowley, Mart, 193
Cuevas, John de, 202
Cutting, Mrs. Brockholst, 12
Damrosch, Walter, 167
Davison-Ackley, George, 58, 211, 213–14
Deal, Cordelia V., 65–68, 70, 228–29
Deal family, 65, 67, 228–29
Defendini, Richard, 195
Douglas, Kirk and Anne, 216
Douglass, George P., 69, 103–4
Downes, Edward O. D., 111, 173, 176, 195, 200
Duncan, Isadora, 29
Dwan, Virginia, 164
Eaton, Florence, 120
Eichhammer, William, 65–66
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 179–80
Eisenhower, Dr. Milton S., 179
Elliman, Douglas L., 143
Ellman, Mrs. Elaine, 118–19, 135, 158, 161, 174, 211
Ellman, Lawrence, 85, 118–19, 135, 158, 161, 174, 195, 204, 211
Ely, Matthew S., 97
Erich, Mrs., 59
Faisal, King, 159
Faisal, Mohamet, 158
Faisal, Princess Mona, 59, 158–59
Falco, Louis, 214
Farrar, Geraldine, 120
Faulkner, William, 119
Fay, Mrs. W. Rodman, 47
Feehan, Patrick, 174
Feiffer, Jules, 216
Ferrer, Jose, 85
Fink, Mrs. Monique, 170
Fink, Peter, 85, 170
Finney, Jack, 233
Fish, Stuyvesant, 12
Fish, Mrs. Stuyvesant, 12, 212
Flack, Roberta, 59, 62, 85, 120, 164–66, 173, 207
Flaker, Godfrey, 169
Fonda, Henry, 122
Ford, Ruth (Mrs. Zachary Scott), 85, 119, 164, 170, 193, 195, 202, 205, 210, 211, 212, 218
Frankenheimer, John, 85
Frick, Henry, 51
Frick family, 3
Friedan, Betty, 85, 155
Gabronska, Count Yash and Eva, 216
Galantiere, Lewis, 195, 207
Galbraith, John Kenneth, 216
Gallico, Paul, 85
Garland, Judy, 85
George (policeman), 177
Gilbe
rt, Bradford Lee, 4
Gillis, Romer, 177, 178
Glickman, Louis J., 39, 93, 94–95, 96, 97, 98, 104, 105, 106, 107, 109, 188, 192
Glickman, Mrs. Louis J., 93
Goelet family, 19
Goldberger, Paul, 57–58, 59, 129, 161, 211, 229, 231
Goldfinger, Myron, 165
Goodman, Edwin, 52
Gould family, 3, 19, 64, 65
Green, Adolph, 216
Greenfield, Albert M., 188
Greenfield, Gordon K., 188–90, 191–93, 194, 195, 196, 197–99, 200, 201–6, 226–27, 228, 231
Greenfield, Mrs. Harriet, 188–90, 200
Grimm, Peter, 93, 94
Gross, Ernest A., 86, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 105, 106, 107–8, 109, 189, 190
Gunther, John, 216
Hale, George E., 120
Hand, James King, 183–85
Hardenbergh, Henry, 33–41, 49, 154
Hardenbergh, Reverend Jacob Rutsen, 34
Hardenbergh family, 34
Hardy, Charles J., 171
Hardy family, 171
Harriman family, 3
Hartenstein, Mr., 68
Hartmann, Sadakichi, 33–34
Harvey, Colonel and Mrs. George, 177
Hayes, Rutherford B., 46
Hellman, Lillian, 216
Herbert, Sheila, 62, 111, 196
Heuvel, Jean Stein vanden, 172
Heuvel, William vanden, 216
Hobby, J. Oakley, Jr., 183–84
Holliday, Judy, 85, 89
Holzer, Mrs. Leonard (“Baby Jane”), 185
Hoving, Thomas, 146
Howe, Elias, 22, 24, 25
Howell, Maxwell D., 70
Howells, William Dean, 45–46
Hughes, Emmett, 157
Hunt, Richard Morris, 4, 16–17
Huntington, Emily, 22, 31
Hurst, Fannie, 85
Hyde, James Hazen, 212
Inge, William, 85
Isaacs, Lewis M., 108
Iselin, Mr. and Mrs. Columbus, 12
Isherwood, Christopher, 69
Issam Azzam, 159
Ives, Anne, 122–24
Jackson, C. D., 59, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 105, 106, 107–9, 129, 160, 162, 190
Jackson, Mrs. Grace, 59, 97, 108, 121, 129, 160, 161, 162, 195
Jacobson family, 59
Jamison, William Arbuckle, 47, 171, 174
Jamison family, 171
Johnson, Philip, 156, 157
Johnston, Mr., 177
Jordan, Ambrose, 24
Jordan, Caroline, see Clark, Mrs. Caroline
José (doorman), 78
Kahn, Otto, 51
Katz, Mr., 116
Kay, Miss, 87
Keating, Kenneth, 216
Keller, Mr. and Mrs. Dale, 212
Keller family, 212
Kemble, Fanny, 140–41
Kempner, Nan, 60
Kennedy, Robert F., 216
Kennedy family, 61
Kent, Allegra, 216
Kingsley, Sidney, 85
Kinnan, Alexander, 47
Kirk, Admiral Alan G., 85, 130, 190
Kirk, Dr. Grayson, 180
Kissan, Samuel Hamilton, 47
Knott, C. B., 103, 178–79
Kopit, Arthur, 216
La Farge, Frances, 112
La Farge family, 112
Lancaster, Frederick J., 177
Lauder, Estee, 230
Lawford, Patricia, 216
Lehman family, 59
Lemmon, Jack, 205
Lennon, John, 38, 62, 77–79, 85, 161, 171, 185, 192, 207, 211, 212, 217, 230
Lennon, Mrs. John, see Ono, Yoko
Lennon, Sean, 78, 212
Leo, E. Bruce, 89, 112, 115–18, 128, 135, 158, 161, 174, 195
Leo, Mr., 116, 117
LeRoy, Mrs. Kay, 159–60, 213, 217
LeRoy, Mervyn, 159
LeRoy, Warner, 62, 85, 134, 158, 159–60, 167, 171, 207, 213, 217, 218
Levin, Ira, 73
Lewis, Sinclair, 222
Lienau, Detlef, 34
Lindsay, John V., 218
Loy, Myrna, 214
Luce, Henry R., 59, 108–9
McAllister, Ward, 12, 14, 43, 64
McCarthy, Kevin, 216
McCrary, Tex, 93
Maclay, Mrs. Fenton, 112, 117, 118, 119, 223
Maclay, Robert, 112
Mann, Colonel William D’Alton, 64, 65
Mannes, David, 167
Mannes, Marya, 85, 88, 167, 175
Manning, Bishop, 182
Manson, Charles, 78
Marlowe, David, 111, 185–86, 217
Martin, Charles Grayson, 171
Martin, George, 119
Martin, Jimmy, 112, 119–21, 223, 230
Martin family, 171
Mates, Freddie, 192
Maugham, Syrie, 85
Maysles, Albert, 85, 229
Maysles, Mrs. Gillian, 229
Maysles, Rebekah, 229
Mazzonis de Pralafera, Baroness, see Blanchard, Mrs. Winifred Cecil
Melville, Mr. and Mrs. Herman, 45
Mercer, Marian, 85
Michael, Prince of Greece, 216
Mielziner, Jo, 58, 74–75, 85, 107, 129, 167, 173–74, 195, 198, 204
Mies van der Rohe, 157
Miller, Mrs. Jennifer, see Clark, Mrs. Jennifer Miller
Millis, Walter, 85
Mizner, Addison, 29
Morgan, J. P., 51, 182
Morgan family, 3
Morris, Lloyd, 15, 17, 43
Murrow, Edward R., 160
Navarro, Juan de, 18
Nitze, Peter, 160–61, 195
Nitze, Mrs. Peter, 160–61
Noble, Joseph J., 107
North, William, 178–79
Novak, Gyora, 156–57, 158, 159, 211, 220
Novak, Mrs. Judy, 156–57, 158, 159, 220
Olmsted, Frederick Law, 140, 142, 145, 146, 147, 148
Olrig, Adolph, 47
Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy, 172, 214, 216
O’Neal, Patrick, 210
O’Neal family, 210
O’Neill, Nance, 120
Ono, Yoko (Mrs. John Lennon), 38, 62, 77–79, 85, 161, 185, 192, 207, 211, 212, 217, 230
Palance, Jack, 85
Paolozzi, Christiana, 185
Parker, Dorothy, 233
Paynter, John, 79
Peter II, King of Yugoslavia, 182
Phelps family, 61
Pinto, Mr., 60
Pinto, Pauline, 59–60, 221, 222
Pinto family, 221
Pipsey, William, 47
Plimpton, George, 216
Polanski, Roman, 73
Porter, Cole, 222
Portman, Eric, 85
Prabhavananda, Swami, 69
Pratt, Harry, 160
Pratt, William Henry, see Karloff, Boris
Prentice, Mrs. Alta Rockefeller, 222
Proctor, Mrs. Lillian Sanford, 222
Pulitzer, Joseph, 4
Pupin, Dr. Michael Idvorsky, 181–83
Quinlan, Charles J., 69, 176
Quinlan, Mrs. Grace, 69, 108, 110, 176, 177
Quinlan, William J., 107–8, 109, 110, 176
Quinlan family, 116, 176, 177
Quinn, Daniel and Barbara, 210
Rader, Dotson, 85
Rathbone, Basil, 65
Ratoff, Gregory, 85
Reed, Rex, 74, 75, 85, 111, 135, 165, 171, 193, 195, 207, 230
Reid, Whitelaw, 4
Reisinger family, 23
Renfield, Robert, 211
Restell, Madame (abortionist), 141
Ridge, Richard, 75
Robards, Jason, 216, 218
Rockefeller, John D., 160, 182
Rockefeller brothers, 45, 113
Rockefeller family, 3, 233
Roebling, John, 6
Rogers, Mr. a
nd Mrs. Bernard, 152, 161
Rogers, William, 120
Rolling Stones, 185
Roosevelt, Mrs. Franklin D., 93
Root, Elihu, 143
Ross, Mrs. Judy, 161, 188–89, 190
Ross, Wilbur L., Jr., 74, 152, 161, 168, 188–89, 190, 192, 194–95, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 217, 231
Rutherfurd, Lewis, 16
Rutherfurd, Stuyvesant, see Stuyvesant, Rutherfurd
Ryan, Mrs. Jessie, 79, 192
Ryan, Lisa, 79
Ryan, Robert, 78–79, 85, 192
Schiff family, 3
Schirmer, Gustav, 45–47, 56
Schirmer, Mrs. Gustav, 45–47
Schirmer family, 56, 85
Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr., 216
Schubert family, 119
Schurz, Carl, 46
Scott, Mrs. Ruth Ford, see Ford, Ruth
Scott, Zachary, 85, 110, 119, 216, 217
Segal, Paul, 121, 161–62, 171, 204, 207, 230
Severns, Dr. Scott, 157, 159, 198
Severns, Mrs. Theodate Johnson, 157–58, 159, 173, 198, 215
Sheppard, Eugenia, 85, 207, 214, 217, 230
Sherrick, Mrs. Edward, 172
Shiva, Gil, 130, 211, 212, 214–15, 216, 225
Shiva, Mrs. Susan Stein, 85, 130, 212, 214–16, 225
Simon, Mrs. Paul, 85
Singer, Isaac Merritt, 21–32, 59, 189
Singer, Mrs. Isabella Boyer, 26, 28
Singer, Paris, 29
Smith, Kent, 85
Smith, Liz, 217
Spatt, Beverly Moss, 132, 134–35
Spreckels, Mrs. Adolph B., 221
Stein, Jules, 130
Stein, Susan, see Shiva, Mrs. Susan Stein
Steinway, Mrs. Frederic, 92, 144
Steinway, Theodor, 45, 46, 121–22
Steinway family, 45, 46, 56, 63, 85, 121–22
Stern, Isaac, 93
Strong, George Templeton, 11–12, 212
Stuyvesant, Peter, 16, 34
Stuyvesant, Rutherfurd, 16, 17
Suydam, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lispenard, 12
Tatum, Tarant, 47
Tchaikovsky, Modeste, 46
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich, 46–47
Terry, Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, 210
Thomas, Vassal, 212
Thomson, Virgil, 158
Tiffany, Charles L., 12
Tiny Tim, 185
Twain, Mark, 45
Tweed, William Marcy “Boss,” 7, 68
Vanderbilt, Gloria, 216
Vanderbilt, Mr. and Mrs. William H., 222
Vanderbilt, Mrs. William K., 14, 141
Vanderbilt, Willie K., 65
Vanderbilt family, 3, 19, 64, 65, 233
Vassichekof, Prince George, 216
Verdon, Gwen, 85
Vesley, Mrs. Elise, 69–70
Victoria, Frederick, 70, 113–14, 115–16, 130, 132–33, 134, 155–56, 204
Victoria, Mrs. Frederick, 70
Wager, Michael, 158, 159, 161, 211–12, 213
Wakabayashi, Hiro, 85
Ward, Adela T., 129
Warhol, Andy, 157, 185
Warner brothers, 159