Everything by Design: My Life as an Architect [Hardcover]

Alan Lapidus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

Alan Lapidus's life has been a Zelig-like romp through most of the cultural and political highlights of the recent past. He has popped up as architect for or observer of many of our era's most iconic figures, including Donald Trump, various Mafia big shots, mayors, Aristotle and Jackie Onassis, Bob Guccione, pit bosses, real estate legends, and spies. 
            Everything by Design takes us behind the scenes in Las Vegas, Disney World, Havana, Atlantic City, Moscow, the Amazon rainforest, and New York. Along the way we learn why Mickey Mouse never seems to use the restroom, why the baccarat tables in casinos are always far away from the dice tables, why the CIA wanted him to redesign Havana's main synagogue, and why the tunnels under the Hotel Moskva can't be touched. 
            Everything by Design is a keenly observed social and cultural history of modern  America by one of its key shapers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Books about architecture can be overly technical, theoretical, and often boring—everything that this delightfully breezy and yet seriously informative memoir is not. Lapidus, the son of the designer of Miami's Fontainebleau Hotel, is perhaps best known as "Donald Trump's architect," designing several of the developer's hotels and casinos in Atlantic City and elsewhere. It's natural, then, that much of the book is an affectionate but clear-eyed portrait of Trump, who comes off as a wily showman, shrewd businessman, and, finally, loyal friend. Lapidus says little about the process of designing buildings except as it relates to the key issue of understanding the clients, who have included everyone from mobsters to Disney. His insider's view of the brass-knuckled world of real estate is both funny and matter-of-fact, given his preference for realpolitik over aesthetic philosophizing. The most poignant parts of the book are about his oedipal rivalry with his father, Morris Lapidus, who suffered critical drubbings and, with one striking exception, could not appreciate his son's success. Nance, Kevin

Review

“Alan knows what he’s writing about. He and his father designed for both me and my father, and his knowledge is comprehensive. He’s also a total pro. Pay attention to what he has to say—he is very good!”—Donald J. Trump

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312361661
• ISBN-13: 978-0312361662
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,345,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waiting for Volume 2!, January 18, 2008

By 

Judith Kahn (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everything by Design: My Life as an Architect (Hardcover)

This is a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating book. It never got boring! Loved the scenes with the "rich and famous," and I would like to see the author publish Volume 2 - I am sure there are many more interesting stories that he did not have room for here.

5.0 out of 5 stars An acorn close to its tree... and more., November 8, 2010

By 

Pit O'Maley "Moon Man" (Alameda, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Everything by Design: My Life as an Architect (Hardcover)

You know the saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." Don't believe it. The cover of this memoir is just the icing. As an artist with architectural leanings, I have always wondered about the field. And I had known struggling architects and knew the importance of The Fountainbleau to this country, from "Goldfinger" fame to its Sinatra/Nelson Eddy glamour. So, it was a delight to find out much more. Nearly abandoning the book early on, bogged down with the early oedipal struggles of the lad,Alan Lapidus, I soldiered on. Other vistas unfolded enormously.This man can really write. His pen is funny and astute throughout. You learn about the trials and tribulations of architects, but Alan managed here to climb from under and beneath the weight of his equally-gifted father, Morris Lapidus, to quickly establish himself among the New York lights of Trump and other moneyed developers. It only saddens me slightly, to see creative giants like him downsized, living in relative obscurity, while their realized creative efforts tower in magnificence, get traded or renovated, with all the lustre going to the hotel chain, etc. While you read and absorb the realities of architects/developers, you eventually find yourself here seeing life as we knew it pass before your eyes, leading to the sobriety of 9/11. There are comparisons to Howard Ruark (Atlas Shrugged)even if Alan would dismiss them. After all,unlike the rest of us, he was able to collaborate with the developers(employers)and retire with his integrity intact. He doesn't voice it but Alan seems to say, many times,that in our society, a Phideas, could do no better than he,go about largely unrecognized while the Paris Hiltons parade themselves in money downpours. Of course, any artist will own, you never do it for the money. A wonderful read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent service, September 29, 2010

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This review is from: Everything by Design: My Life as an Architect (Hardcover)

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