Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address [Paperback]

Stephen Birmingham (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr (Sd); 1St Edition edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081560338X
• ISBN-13: 978-0815603382
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life at the Dakota, June 30, 2000

By 

Hector Ibarra (Oakville, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address (Paperback)

Stephen Birmingham's insightful look at one of New York City's most memorable addresses will be an enjoyment to all who find great interest in the details in the history of this wonderful city. The book studies the story of this well-known landmark from the very beginning; by understanding the background of key figures like Edward Clark (founder of the Singer Co.) and architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (designer of the old Waldorf-Astoria and The Plaza Hotel).

In an era where `polished society' observed presentation and `location' as signs of refiness, the Dakota was one of the first experiments in `modern' urban living in the United States. Wealthy upper class New Yorkers were presented with a new and less costly option in `elegant' living to the grand homes rising in late 1800s Fifth Avenue. Although initially frowned upon by the `Old Guard' of New York society, the Dakota instantly found it's market and was one of the pioneers in this now `acceptable' style of living.

Throughout the years the Dakota apartments has found a vast array of `celebrity tenants'. Individuals who have always been out of the `mainstream' and have put little thought on which side of Central Park they resided. Boris Karloff, Zachary Scott, Leonard Bernstein, Lauren Bacall, Roberta Flack, John Lennon and Yoko Ono have been a few of the tenants that have called this historically rich building their home.

Stephen Birmingham chronicles the first hundred years of `One 72nd Street West', capturing along the way the growth and changing trends of this vast Metropolis. Readers will also discover that by the end of this witty and insightful book the building itself gains a feisty personality of its own; by being the one that dared being `too far up' and on the wrong side of town.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than "John Lennon's apartment building", September 5, 2000

By 

Carl Tait (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address (Paperback)

A wonderfully entertaining book that chronicles the history of one of New York City's most colorful residences. The early chapters are particularly enjoyable, with tongue-in-cheek descriptions of the (often ludicrous) rituals of high society during the Gilded Age. The last quarter of the book is not as interesting, with sometimes overlong discussion of the building's modern-day residents. As a whole, however, "Life at the Dakota" is a vibrant and ingratiating portrait: not just for history buffs and not just for New Yorkers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, if dishy, October 19, 2009

By 

Caitlin Martin "addicted to words" (East Bay, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address (Paperback)

This was an entertaining social history of the Dakota apartment building in New York. The early parts of the book discusses the early history of the building, its first tenants, & its place in the history of the city & this is where the book is at its most interesting. Who knew that early apartment buildings & hotels were frowned upon because they were so much like the tenements of the day?

The last bit of the book is a bit gossipy, but that's also delicious in its own way, although somewhat disconcerting after the earlier historical writing. There are some cool photographs, as well, but I would've liked to have seen more photos of the interior of the building - maybe not the insides of people's apartments, but surely there's a picture of the lobby somewhere!

I love the notion of this building going up on the west side of Central Park & being called the Dakota because at the time it was so far out west. Its original budget was a million dollars & it took four years to build - from 1880 to 1884.

This, of course, is where John Lennon lived & where he was shot. The exterior of the building has been used in a couple of movies, Rosemary's Baby most notably, but they don't allow filming inside.

This is an enjoyable, if not terribly scholarly, book.