The Dakota

Template:Good article Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NRHP The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was constructed between 1880 and 1884 in the German Renaissance style and was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh for businessman Edward Cabot Clark. The building was one of the first large developments on the Upper West Side and is the oldest remaining luxury apartment building in New York City. The building is a National Historic Landmark and has been designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The building is also a contributing property to the Central Park West Historic District.

The Dakota occupies the western side of Central Park West between 72nd and 73rd streets. It is largely square in plan and built around a central H-shaped courtyard, through which all apartments are accessed. Formerly, there was a garden to the west of the Dakota, underneath which was a mechanical plant serving the Dakota and some adjacent row houses. The facade is largely composed of brick with sandstone trim and terracotta detailing. The main entrance is a double-height archway on 72nd Street, which leads to the courtyard. The building's design includes deep roofs with dormers, terracotta spandrels and panels, niches, balconies, and balustrades. Each apartment at the Dakota had a unique layout with four to twenty rooms. The building is divided into quadrants, each of which has a stair and an elevator for tenants, as well as another stair and another elevator for servants.

After Clark announced plans for an apartment complex at the site in 1879, work began in late October 1880. The building was not given its name until mid-1882, and Clark died before the Dakota was completed in October 1884. The Dakota was fully rented upon its completion. The building was managed by the Clark family for eight decades and remained largely unchanged during that time. In 1961, the Dakota's residents bought the building from the Clark family and converted it into a housing cooperative. The Dakota has historically been home to many artists, actors, and musicians, including John Lennon, who was murdered outside the building on December 8, 1980. The building remained a cooperative into the 21st century.

Site

The Dakota is at 1 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City.<ref name="ZoLa">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Alpern p. 37">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building occupies the western sidewalk of Central Park West (formerly Eighth Avenue<ref name="Alpern p. 37" /><ref name="LC pp. 134-135">Template:Harvnb</ref>) between 72nd Street to the south and 73rd Street to the north.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref name="LC pp. 134-135" /><ref name="Stern (1999) pp. 561-562">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Dakota occupies a nearly square land lot with an area of Template:Cvt.<ref name="ZoLa" /> The land lot has frontages of Template:Cvt along Central Park West and Template:Cvt along 72nd and 73rd streets.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref name="Alpern p. 56">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="r_7031128_033_00000369">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Nearby locations include the Majestic apartment building immediately to the south, the Olcott Hotel to the west, the Langham apartment building to the north, and Central Park (including the Strawberry Fields memorial) to the east.<ref name="ZoLa" />

The Dakota's developer Edward Cabot Clark, who headed sewing machine firm Singer Manufacturing Company, selected the building's site based on several characteristics.<ref name="Reynolds p. 227">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building is on the crest of the West Side plateau, which overlooks much of Manhattan.<ref name="Reynolds pp. 227-228">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt-1884-10-22">Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, 72nd Street is Template:Cvt wide, making it one of several major crosstown streets in the Manhattan street grid.<ref name="Reynolds pp. 227-228" /> Clark also developed 27 row houses on 72nd and 73rd streets, adjacent to the Dakota,<ref name="Stern (1999) pp. 561-562" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 228">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt-2013-10-17">Template:Cite news</ref> which are no longer extant.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The two developments were part of Clark's larger plan for a cohesive neighborhood;<ref name="Hawes p. 102">Template:Harvnb</ref> the row houses were in the middle of the block, where land values were lower, whereas the Dakota was built on the more valuable site next to Central Park.<ref name="NYCL p. 14">Template:Harvnb</ref> Clark developed another set of row houses at 13–65 and 103–151 West 73rd Street, some of which still exist.Template:Efn All of these houses were designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh.<ref name="nyt-2013-10-17" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

The Dakota is one of several apartment buildings on Central Park West that are primarily identified by an official name.<ref name="nyt-1986-09-28" /><ref name="Mason p. 26">Template:Harvnb</ref> Even though a street address was sufficient to identify these apartment buildings, this trend followed a British practice of giving names to buildings without addresses.<ref name="Cromley p. 143" /> By contrast, buildings on Fifth Avenue, along the eastern side of Central Park, are mainly known by their addresses.<ref name="Mason p. 26" /> Unlike other large apartment buildings on Central Park West, the Dakota was not named after a previous building on the site.<ref name="nyt-1986-09-28" /><ref name="Mason p. 25">Template:Harvnb</ref> Christopher Gray of The New York Times described the Dakota as one of several apartment buildings that were famous enough "to maintain their names simply in common custom".<ref name="nyt-1986-09-28" />

Architecture

The Dakota was designed by Hardenbergh for Clark and built between 1880 and 1884.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="nyt-1974-02-17">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 561">Template:Harvnb</ref> The construction process involved several contractors including stonemason John L. Banta, plumber T. Brieu, iron supplier Post & McCord, carpenter J. L. Hamilton, stonework supplier J. Gillis Se Son and Henry Wilson, and woodwork contractor Pottier & Stymus.<ref name="Alpern p. 56" /><ref name="r_7031128_033_00000369" />

There is disagreement over the building's architectural style. CNBC and writers Sarah Bradford Landau and Carl W. Condit described the building as being built in a German Renaissance Revival style,<ref name="Kane 2012 g631">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LC p. 135">Template:Harvnb</ref> but a contemporary source described the building's design as being patterned after "the period of Francis I".<ref name="p88892979">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The writer Elizabeth Hawes said in 1993 that the building had been characterized as "Brewery Brick Victorian neo-Gothic Eclectic".<ref name="Hawes p. 94">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building's design includes deep roofs with dormers, terracotta spandrels and panels, niches, balconies, and balustrades.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /> The designs of the dormers, roofs, and windows were influenced by the Northern Renaissance style.<ref name="Cromley p. 140">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The Dakota is a nine-story building; most of the building is seven stories high, although there are also two-story gables.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="NPS p. 2">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="sa-1884-05-10">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Some contemporary sources described the building as being ten stories high, including the raised basement,<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2">Template:Harvnb</ref> while others classify the Dakota as being eight stories high.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 561" /><ref name="NYCL-0280">Template:Cite web</ref> The Dakota measures Template:Cvt tall and was the tallest building in the neighborhood when it was constructed.<ref name="nyt-2006-04-30">Template:Cite news</ref> Due to the apartments' high ceilings, the Dakota's height was equivalent to that of a standard 15-story building.<ref name="nyt-1933-11-21">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Alpern p. 107">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Courtyards

Main courtyard

File:Snowedthedakota.JPG

The roof of the Dakota during winter, with the H-shaped central courtyard

The building is largely square in plan and built around a central H-shaped courtyard.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="LC p. 135" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The space measures Template:Cvt long and up to Template:Cvt wide.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref name="Hawes pp. 94–96">Template:Harvnb</ref> The courtyard provides entry to all apartments and doubles as a light court for the interiors of each apartment.<ref name="Alpern p. 52">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Cromley pp. 143-145">Template:Harvnb</ref> A writer for the American Architect and Building News described the Dakota's courtyard and similar spaces in other buildings as "a safe, pleasant and sheltered place, under the eye of the Janitor, where tenants can enter, but thieves cannot...".<ref name="Cromley p. 145">Template:Harvnb</ref> The writer also suggested that children could play within the courtyard, but other, unidentified observers believed such a usage attracted unsolicited attention.<ref name="Cromley p. 145" /> The apartments are accessed by four passageways, one from each corner of the courtyard.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Hawes pp. 94–96" /><ref name="AF p. 124">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The main courtyard also functioned as a meeting area for residents, since the rest of the building was designed with "the utmost in personal privacy" as a consideration.<ref name="Alpern p. 124">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Over the years, the courtyard has hosted events such as parties and Christmas carols.<ref name="Alpern1992">Template:Cite book</ref>

A glass breezeway ran along the western portion of the courtyard.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Alpern p. 162" /> This breezeway had been installed during the 1920s to protect residents from inclement weather. When the courtyard was rebuilt in 2004, the sidewalk under the breezeway was reconstructed with bluestone pavers that measure up to Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt thick.<ref name="Alpern p. 162" /> The Dakota's courtyard originally contained two fountains, which doubled as skylights for the basement. Horse-drawn carriages, entering from 72nd Street, used the courtyard to turn around.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /><ref name="AF p. 125">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> After automobiles supplanted horse-drawn carriages, the Dakota banned automobiles from the courtyard<ref name="AF p. 125" /> because the space could not support the weight of modern vehicles.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /> The deck of the courtyard was entirely replaced in 2004 because the steel beams that supported it had corroded severely. The modern courtyard is a reinforced-concrete slab, which is covered by granite pavers.<ref name="Alpern p. 162">Template:Harvnb</ref>

A service driveway also runs along the western side of the main courtyard.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref name="Alpern p. 31">Template:Harvnb</ref> The driveway descends to the basement, where there is a lower courtyard with the same dimensions as the ground-level courtyard.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="p88892979" /> This driveway was originally used to deliver goods and "commodities of housekeeping", as well as remove garbage and ashes.<ref name="Alpern p. 31" /> All servants entered and exited the Dakota through this driveway.<ref name="Alpern p. 31" /> The Dakota's distinct upper and lower courtyards differed from that of Hardenbergh and Clark's earlier Van Corlear apartment house at Seventh Avenue and 55th Street, where residents and servants used the same courtyard.<ref name="Alpern p. 51">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt-2006-12-17">Template:Cite news</ref>

Other spaces

To the west of the Dakota was another garden;<ref name="nyt-2012-06-01" /> both the Dakota and the adjacent row houses were served by a mechanical plant below the garden.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="nyt-1884-03-07">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Alpern p. 46">Template:Harvnb</ref> The placement of the mechanical plant outside the building was a deliberate measure to reassure residents in case the machinery exploded.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> There were also tennis and croquet courts within the garden.<ref name="Alpern p. 121">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Images show that the garden was surrounded by a fence, and the area above the mechanical plant was further enclosed by a hedge.<ref name="Alpern p. 64">Template:Harvnb</ref> The garden had become a parking lot by the 1950s,<ref name="nyt-2012-06-01" /><ref name="Alpern p. 64" /> and the Mayfair apartment building was developed on the garden's site in 1964.<ref name="nyt-2012-06-01">Template:Cite news</ref>

The building is surrounded by a recessed areaway, also described as a dry moat.<ref name="AF p. 123">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NY1900">Template:Cite NY1900</ref> The areaway was intended to increase residents' safety, as well as allow natural light and air to enter the basement.<ref name="NY1900" /> An entrance to the New York City Subway's 72nd Street station, served by the Template:NYCS trains,<ref name=MTAMaps-2015>Template:Cite web</ref> is built within this areaway.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> A cast-iron fence separates the areaway from the sidewalk.<ref name="NY1900" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The sidewalk was originally made of bluestone slabs.<ref name="Alpern p. 162" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Facade

Each elevation of the facade is divided vertically into bays. There are 11 bays on 72nd Street to the south and Central Park West to the east; 13 bays on 73rd Street to the north; and 17 bays to the west. The Dakota's raised basement is clad with sandstone. The remainder of the facade is made of buff brick, except on the west elevation, which is made of red brick; all of the brick is laid in common bond.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The Dakota's use of soft-hued buff brick contrasted with the facade of the Van Corlear, which was a "harsh red".<ref name="nyt-2006-12-17" /> The facade also contains Nova Scotia sandstone trim and terracotta detailing.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="Cromley p. 140" /> The materials and colors were selected to not only complement each other but also to soften the appearance of the building's shadows and massing.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The large amount of ornament created the impression of variety between different parts of the facade.<ref name="Cromley p. 140" /> The west elevation, facing the former yard, was sparsely ornamented.<ref name="nyt-2012-06-01" /> The exterior walls function as load-bearing walls,<ref name="NYCL-0280" /><ref name="NPS p. 3">Template:Harvnb</ref> which measure up to Template:Cvt thick.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /> The exterior walls taper from Template:Convert on upper stories.<ref name="Hawes p. 97">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Entrances

Template:Multiple image The building's main entrance is a double-height archway on 72nd Street to the south.<ref name="sa-1884-05-10" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /> It measures Template:Cvt wide and Template:Cvt tall.<ref name="nyt-1881-04-17">Template:Cite news</ref> The archway is flanked by pedestals with metal urns, and there is a Diocletian window in the upper portion of the archway. There is also a security guard's booth to the west of the main entrance.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL-0280" /> After midnight, residents and visitors are required to ring the security guard to enter the building.<ref name="Alpern p. 121" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AF p. 123" /> Portraits of a man and woman (probably Edward C. Clark's partner Isaac Merritt Singer and Isaac's wife Isabella Boyer Singer) are placed above the doorway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The 72nd Street entrance is a porte-cochère large enough for horse-drawn carriages to drop off passengers.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /> Many of the horse-drawn carriages were dispatched from the now-demolished Dakota Stables at 75th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, developed by Edward C. Clark's son Alfred Corning Clark.<ref name="nyt-2010-07-29">Template:Cite news</ref> Inside the archway is a groin-vaulted vestibule that leads to the courtyard.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /> There are metal gates on either end of the vestibule.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /> Architectural Record likened the 72nd Street entrance to a "fortress entry".<ref name="AF p. 124" />

A "handsome doorway", measuring Template:Cvt tall,<ref name="nyt-1881-04-17" /> also led from 73rd Street to the courtyard.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /> The northern entrance on 73rd Street was seldom used<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /> except for funerals.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" />

Upper stories

The 72nd Street elevation contains projecting turrets, which rise the entire height of the facade.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL-0280" /> A depiction of a Native American's head is carved on the facade.<ref name="AF p. 123" /> Above the second story is a horizontal band course made of terracotta.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="sa-1884-05-10" /> The band course is decorated with a diaper pattern.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /> Above the sixth story is a stone cornice, which separates the seventh story and the roof from the rest of the facade.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="sa-1884-05-10" /> The cornice is supported by large brackets and is topped by an ornate metal balustrade.<ref name="NYCL-0280" />

The building is topped by gables at each of its corners.<ref name="Reynolds p. 228" /><ref name="sa-1884-05-10" /> The 72nd Street elevation also has a gable above the central entrance. On Central Park West, the central section of the roof is a hip roof. Originally, arched balconies connected the gables.<ref name="sa-1884-05-10" /> The roof is covered with slate tiles.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Hawes pp. 96–97">Template:Harvnb</ref> Dormer windows and corbeled brick chimneys protrude from the roof at multiple locations. The dormer windows are arranged in two to four levels and alternately contain either stone or copper frames.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> There are also turrets, finials, and flagpoles along the roof.<ref name="Hawes pp. 96–97" />

Structural features

File:Arched entrance to the Dakota Building NYC.jpg

Vaulted driveway leading into the courtyard

The Dakota was designed as a fireproof structure. According to construction plans, the foundation walls were made of bluestone blocks, extended Template:Cvt deep, and measured Template:Cvt thick.<ref name="p88892979" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /><ref name="Alpern p. 53">Template:Harvnb</ref> The perimeter walls tapered in thickness from Template:Cvt at the first story to Template:Cvt above the sixth story.<ref name="LC p. 135" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /><ref name="Alpern p. 53" />Template:Efn The superstructure includes rolled steel beams on each floor, spaced every Template:Cvt and measuring Template:Cvt deep. Between these rolled beams were brick or terracotta arches.<ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /><ref name="Alpern p. 53" /> The floor surfaces consist of Template:Cvt earthen subfloors above 9-inch-thick slabs of concrete.<ref name="LC p. 135" /><ref name="p1326077730">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AF p. 126">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Partitions in the hallways are made of "fireproof blocks", while partitions in other parts of the building are made of either "fireproof blocks" or brick.<ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /> The thick walls, floor slabs, and partitions also provided noise insulation.<ref name="Hawes p. 99" /><ref name="NPS p. 3" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229">Template:Harvnb</ref> The strength of the Dakota's superstructure rivaled that of contemporary office buildings.<ref name="LC p. 135" />

The mechanical plant to the west measured Template:Cvt and contained electrical generators, steam boilers, and steam engines. The plant's roof was constructed of brick arches and iron beams, and the garden was planted above it.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /> The generators became obsolete in the 1890s after the neighborhood was connected to the city's power grid, and the boilers and engines were relocated to the Dakota's basement.<ref name="Alpern p. 46" /> The steam plant in the basement, as well as the building's hydraulic elevators, were powered by water that was collected from the roof and from underneath each apartment's radiators.<ref name="Hawes p. 100"/><ref name="AF p. 128; Alpern p. 133"/> The radiators in each apartment were placed under the window sills.<ref name="AF p. 128; Alpern p. 133">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref>

The basement had a coal bunker with a capacity of Template:Cvt.<ref name="nyt-1933-11-21" /><ref name="Alpern p. 107" /> From the beginning, the building was equipped with "a complete system of electric communication", including electric bells that were used to request the elevators.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /> The Dakota had telegraph wires leading to a florist's shop, a fire station, a nearby stable, and the messenger's and telegraph offices.<ref name="Hawes p. 97" /> There were 300 electric bells and 4,000 electric lights, all powered by the mechanical plant.<ref name="Hawes p. 97" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /> The attic had six water tanks, each with a capacity of Template:Cvt. The pumps could draw up to Template:Cvt of water per day, and over Template:Cvt of pipes delivered water to each apartment.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 6" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" />

Interior

Hallways, elevators, and stairs

The passageways from the courtyard lead to ground-level spaces with wooden paneling and marble wainscoting.<ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /><ref name="Alpern p. 126">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Between the first and second stories, the walls of the staircases are wainscoted with marble. The hallways on the upper stories are wainscoted in wood, while the ceilings and walls are made of plaster.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> Because the Dakota was one of the city's earliest luxury apartment buildings, the floor plans resembled those of traditional row houses.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /><ref name="nyt-2017-11-17">Template:Cite news</ref> Consequently, the hallways were generally long and narrow at the Dakota, compared with later developments such as 998 Fifth Avenue.<ref name="nyt-2017-11-17" /> In any case, because the Dakota had four entrances with their own elevators and stairs, there were very few public hallways on the upper stories.<ref name="Cromley p. 154">Template:Harvnb</ref> This gave residents a feeling of privacy, since tenants were largely separated both from each other and from servants.<ref name="Cromley pp. 154-145">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The interior has eight elevators, four each for residents and servants.<ref name="Hawes p. 97" /> At each corner of the courtyard, four wrought-bronze staircases and four residents' elevators lead from the entrances to the upper stories.<ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /> Each corner of the building has a brick shaft with one elevator and one staircase;<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /> this roughly divides the Dakota into quadrants.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /><ref name="Cromley p. 154" /> The tenants' staircases contained marble treads.<ref name="NPS (1976) p. 2" /> The elevator cabs were manufactured by Otis Elevators and were finished in mahogany.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> In the original plans, each elevator served two apartments per floor.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /><ref name="Cromley p. 154" /> Each elevator served a small foyer on each floor that provided access to the two apartments.<ref name="Cromley p. 154" /> These foyers were intended to be "almost as private and convenient" as entrances to typical brownstone row houses.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /> In some cases, an elevator served only one apartment on a floor, so the elevator doors opened directly into that tenant's foyer.<ref name="Cromley p. 154" />

In place of dumbwaiters,<ref name="Alpern p. 51" /> the building contains four service elevators and four iron staircases for servants.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref> The service elevators and staircases are placed near the center of each side of the courtyard.<ref name="Cromley pp. 154-145" /> Each service stair and elevator served two apartments per floor.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /> The service elevators, among the first in the city, lead to the kitchens of the apartments.<ref name="NYCL-0280" /><ref name="NPS p. 3" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /> All of the elevators were originally hydraulic cabs with water tanks at the bottom.<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07">Template:Cite news</ref>

Apartments

Layouts

Each of the Dakota's apartments had a unique layout and contained four to twenty rooms.<ref name="p88892979" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" />Template:Efn The initial plans had called for six<ref name="Stern (1999) pp. 562-564" /><ref name="Alpern pp. 53-54">Template:Harvnb</ref> or eight apartments of about equal size on each of the seven lowest floors.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /><ref name="Hawes p. 96">Template:Harvnb</ref> The largest apartments were on the lower floors, as elevators were still a relatively new technology, and Hardenbergh thought a lower-floor apartment would be more attractive to people who had moved from townhouses.<ref name="Hawes p. 96" /> As the building was being constructed, Clark changed the specifications to accommodate individual tenants, resulting in substantial changes to the formerly standardized floor layouts.<ref name="Stern (1999) pp. 562-564">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Alpern pp. 52-53">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="wsj-2017-11-29">Template:Cite news</ref> Look magazine characterized the differing apartment layouts as a legacy of the "rugged individualism" that had been common when the Dakota opened.<ref name="Alpern p. 122">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The Dakota's construction drawings are no longer extant, so the original arrangement of the apartments is known only from written descriptions.<ref name="Alpern p. 48">Template:Harvnb</ref> Many floor plans for individual apartments have been published over the years, and the Dakota's modern floor plans have been reconstructed based on these documents.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Many of the original apartments have been subdivided, though the Dakota's co-op board has endorsed numerous renovations that restored an apartment's original floor plans.<ref name="wsj-2017-11-29" />

There were either nearly 500 rooms<ref name="Alpern p. 56" /><ref name="r_7031128_033_00000369" /> or 623 rooms in total.<ref name="Hawes p. 96" /> While most of the building contained fully-equipped apartments, with their own entrances and service elevators/stairs, part of the second floor was divided into smaller apartments and guest rooms.<ref name="Alpern pp. 52-53" /> Apartments had a reception area, a drawing room, a library, a kitchen, a pantry, a bath, four bedrooms, one full bathroom, and butlers' and maids' quarters.<ref name="AF p. 123" /><ref name="Hawes p. 99">Template:Harvnb</ref> Larger apartments had up to nine bedrooms, as well as additional spaces like a billiards room, boudoir, or library.<ref name="Hawes p. 99" /> Some of the apartments also have balconies, which blend in with the building's overall design.<ref name="NY1900" /> Clark's apartment on the sixth floor had 18 rooms, including a drawing room that rivaled the design of the ground-floor dining room,<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /><ref name="Hawes p. 96" /> in addition to 17 fireplaces.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /><ref name="Hawes p. 99" /> In the book New York 1880, architect Robert A. M. Stern and his co-authors wrote that Clark's apartment was intended to attract row house occupants by "dramatiz[ing] the value of height".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Materials and dimensions

Ceiling heights ranged from Template:Cvt at the first story to Template:Cvt at the eighth story.<ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /><ref name="AF p. 127">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The largest drawing room in the building was Template:Cvt long<ref name="p1326077730" /> and contained a classical fluted column instead of a partition.<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /><ref name="AF p. 127" /> Parlors were generally either Template:Cvt<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 6" /> or Template:Cvt.<ref name="Hawes p. 99" /> Typical antechambers in the Dakota measured Template:Cvt; drawing rooms, Template:Cvt; bedrooms, Template:Cvt; and dining rooms, Template:Cvt.<ref name="Hawes p. 99" />

Each apartment contained fixtures and materials that were similar to those in contemporary brownstone row houses. The kitchens and bathrooms contained modern fixtures, though other decorations such as moldings, woodwork, and floor surfaces were similar to those in many row houses.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /> The parqueted floors are inlaid with mahogany, oak, and cherry,<ref name="NYCL-0280" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which are laid on top of the earthen subfloors and concrete slabs.<ref name="p1326077730" /><ref name="AF p. 126" /> Each apartment's dining rooms, reception rooms, and libraries were wainscoted in oak, mahogany, and other woods. The kitchens had marble wainscoting and Minton tile, while the bathrooms contained porcelain bathtubs. Other decorations included wood-burning fireplaces with tiled hearths; brass fixtures; and carved mirrors and mantels.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 6" /> Some apartments had plaster ceilings.<ref name="AF p. 127" /> Some of the Dakota's interior decorations, such as carved marble fireplace mantels, were uncommon even in mansions of the time.<ref name="Hawes p. 97" /> The decorations, along with the apartments' layouts, were intended to give the apartments a "palatial" feel.<ref name="Hawes p. 101">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Residents customized their apartments to fit their needs and, in some cases, their occupations.<ref name="Alpern p. 122" /> A Look magazine article in the 1960s described interior designer and antique dealer Frederick P. Victoria as having decorated his apartment with wood "draperies" and antique clocks.<ref name="Alpern p. 123" /> Artist Giora Novak occupied a minimalist space within the building's former dining room, which he decorated with his own artwork,<ref name="Alpern p. 123">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Cite magazine</ref> while interior designer Ward Bennett repurposed a servant's living area under the roof as a studio.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="PA 1979-07">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Dancer Rudolf Nureyev placed classical paintings in his living room and theatrical artwork in other rooms.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some units have been substantially redesigned; for example, a four-bedroom unit was renovated in the modern style in the 2010s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other features

The Dakota's basement contained a laundry, storerooms, a kitchen, and the mechanical plant.<ref name="p88892979" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /> The main section of the basement is directly under the courtyard and has an asphaltum floor. On one side of the basement were heated and illuminated storerooms in which tenants could store items for free.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /> There was also a wine cellar, which was empty by the 1960s.<ref name="Alpern p. 121" /> The quarters of the house staff were in the basement and included bedrooms; bathrooms and dining rooms for men and women; and a smoking room and reading room for men.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /> Residents could also order food from the basement kitchen to be delivered to their rooms. After World War II, the kitchen was closed and became a studio apartment for Giora Novak.<ref name="Alpern p. 53" />

The building had several common areas for residents, including a dining room and a ballroom.<ref name="NY1900" /> The first floor contained the building's main dining room, as well as a smaller private dining room and a reception room.<ref name="Alpern p. 53" /> The floors were made of inlaid tiles of marble, while the walls had English oak wainscoting, above which were bronze bas-reliefs. The ceiling was also made of carved English oak.<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /> On one side of the dining room was a fireplace with a Scotch brownstone mantel, giving the room the quality of an "old English baronial hall".<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 5" /> The original plans had called for the dining area to be accessible to the general public,<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref name="Alpern p. 48" /> but the plans were modified before the building opened, and the dining room only served residents.<ref name="Alpern p. 48" /> The Dakota also had a ladies' reception room with an artwork.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> There was a florist, a messengers' office, and a telegraph office for residents.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" />

The Dakota's in-house staff included a house manager, doormen, chambermaids, janitors, hall servants, and repairmen.<ref name="Hawes p. 101"/> In addition to the Dakota's in-house staff, each tenant could employ up to five of their own servants on site,<ref name="nyt-2006-04-30" /> though residents typically had up to three servants.<ref name="Hawes p. 101"/> Other staff, such as laundry workers, manicurists, and hairdressers, did not live in the building.<ref name="Hawes p. 101"/> Servants employed by the residents, as well as visiting servants, occupied the eighth and ninth floors. The upper-story servants' quarters contained dormitories, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and dryer rooms.<ref name="Alpern p. 52" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 6" /><ref name="Hawes p. 96" /> The servants' quarters had been converted into apartments by the 1950s.<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /> Beside servants' quarters, there was a playroom and a gymnasium on the roof, which was labeled as the "tenth story".<ref name="Alpern p. 52" />

History

The construction of Central Park in the 1860s spurred construction on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but similar development on the Upper West Side was slower to come.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref name="Alpern p. 35">Template:Harvnb</ref> This was in part because of the West Side's steep topography and its dearth of attractions compared with the East Side.<ref name="Alpern p. 35" /> In the late 19th century, hundreds of empty lots were available along the west side of Central Park.<ref name="Cromley p. 143">Template:Harvnb</ref> Major developments on the West Side were erected after the Ninth Avenue elevated line opened in 1879, providing direct access to Lower Manhattan.<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562">Template:Harvnb</ref> A group of businessmen formed the West Side Association the same year.<ref name="Alpern p. 36">Template:Harvnb</ref> Edward C. Clark believed that the line's presence would encourage the growth of a middle-class neighborhood on the West Side.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref name="Hawes p. 94" /> At a speech in December 1879, Clark told the West Side Association: "There are but few persons who are princely enough to wish to occupy an entire palace...but I believe there are many who would like to occupy a portion of a great building."<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref name="Hawes p. 94" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the decade before the Dakota was built, the city's population had increased by at least 100 percent, but the Upper West Side contained only a few assorted saloons, inns, and other buildings.<ref name="Hawes pp. 93–94">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The modern-day Dakota Apartments was one of the first large developments on the Upper West Side,<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /> built at a time when large apartment blocks were still associated with tenement living.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The Dakota is also New York City's oldest surviving luxury apartment building, although it was not the first such structure to be built in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Only a few large apartment houses in the city predated the Dakota, including the Manhattan Apartments (built in 1880) and Windermere Apartments (built in 1883).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the early 19th century, apartment developments in the city were generally associated with the working class, but by the late 19th century, apartments were also becoming desirable among the middle and upper classes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite New York 1930</ref> Between 1880 and 1885, more than ninety apartment buildings were developed in the city.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Development

In 1879, Clark announced plans for an apartment complex at the intersection of 72nd Street and Eighth Avenue<ref name="nyt-1974-02-17" /> (the latter of which was renamed Central Park West in 1883<ref name="Alpern p. 37" />). At the time, the vast majority of development on Manhattan Island was south of 23rd Street.<ref name="nyt-1974-02-17" /> Clark said he wanted "to make money" from the apartment building, even though it was a speculative development that was not being built with specific tenants in mind.<ref name="Hawes p. 97" /> Hardenbergh filed plans for an eight-story "Family Hotel" at the site in September 1880, at which point it was planned to cost one million dollars.<ref name="nyt-1881-04-17" /><ref name="Alpern pp. 53-54" /><ref name="r-7031128_026_00000290">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Hardenbergh simultaneously designed several dozen low-rise row houses for Clark on 73rd Street. The row houses and the large apartment building were part of a larger plan that Clark had for the Upper West Side.<ref name="nyt-2012-06-01" /> John Banta was hired as the apartment house's general contractor.<ref name="p88892979" /><ref name="r-7031128_026_00000290" /> In early October 1880, about two weeks before construction began, the Real Estate Record and Guide reported that the building was to be a "residential hotel" with between 40 and 50 suites, each with five to twenty rooms.<ref name="Alpern p. 54">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Construction commenced at the end of October 1880.<ref name="Brockmann2002">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The building initially did not have a name, even after the foundations were completed in early 1881.<ref name="nyt-1881-04-17" /> By that October, the building had been constructed to the second story, although the Real Estate Record wrote that "it is hardly to be expected that it will be under roof before the winter sets in".<ref name="Alpern p. 54" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As part of the project, Clark also excavated an Artesian well measuring about Template:Cvt deep and Template:Cvt wide.<ref name="Alpern p. 54" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Work was slightly delayed by a labor strike in March 1882.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The exterior walls were up to the sixth story by that May, and the builders estimated that the edifice would be completed in 18 months.<ref name="p88892979" />

The building was renamed the "Dakota" by June 1882.<ref name="Alpern p. 37" /><ref name="nyt-1986-09-28">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the development was still within a rural part of Manhattan.<ref name="Hawes p. 93">Template:Harvnb</ref> One story claims that the name arose because it was remote like the Dakota Territory was.<ref name="Reynolds p. 227" /><ref name="Hawes p. 93" /><ref name="nyt-1993-08-15">Template:Cite news</ref> Though the Clark family never denied this story,<ref name="p1326077730" /> its veracity is disputed, as contemporary publications did not discuss the building's remoteness.<ref name="Alpern p. 37" /> The earliest recorded appearance of this claim was in 1933, when the Dakota's longtime manager told the New York Herald Tribune: "Probably it was called 'Dakota' because it was so far west and so far north".<ref name="nyt-1993-08-15" /><ref name="p1125467766">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The more likely origin for the "Dakota" name was Clark's fondness for the names of the then-new western states and territories.<ref name="p1326077730" /><ref name="Alpern p. 36" /><ref name="nyt-1993-08-15" /> Back in 1879, Clark had proposed naming the Upper West Side's north-south avenues after states or territories in the Western United States, though his suggestions had been ignored.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref name="nyt-1986-09-28" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn The Dakota's remoteness did directly give rise to the nickname "Clark's Folly".<ref name="Reynolds p. 227" /><ref name="nyt-1974-02-17" /><ref name="Hawes p. 93" />

Clark died in 1882 and bequeathed the apartment complex to his oldest grandson, Edward Severin Clark, who at the time was 12 years old.<ref name="p1326077730" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /> After Edward C. Clark's death, Hardenbergh never designed another building for the Clark family;<ref name="nyt-2010-07-29" /><ref name="Alpern p. 24">Template:Harvnb</ref> their final collaboration, the Ontiora at Seventh Avenue and 55th Street, was similar in design to the Dakota.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Work on the Dakota was delayed in August 1883 when the plasterers went on strike to protest the employment of non-union laborers at the site.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other tradesmen joined the strike but returned to work within a month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The mechanical equipment was being installed in the building by March 1884.<ref name="nyt-1884-03-07" /> The Real Estate Record said the next month: "The 'Dakota' is at last near completion and is receiving its finishing touches prior to its opening in May, when it will be quite ready for dwelling purposes."<ref name="Alpern p. 56" /><ref name="r_7031128_033_00000369" /> In September 1884, the Real Estate Record reported that the Dakota "will be ready for occupancy October 1" at a yearly rent of $1,500 to $5,000 (equivalent to between $Template:Inflation and $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation/year) and that one-quarter of the units had already been rented.<ref name="Alpern p. 56" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Elizabeth Hawes wrote that Clark promoted the Dakota as offering "convenience, a short-cut route to opulent living with none of the problems of upkeep, and at a fraction of the expense that went with owning a private house".<ref name="Hawes pp. 97–98">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Clark family ownership

1880s and 1890s

The Dakota Apartments as seen from Eighth Avenue circa 1890

The Dakota as seen from Eighth Avenue circa 1890. The Upper West Side was sparsely developed; the only other buildings visible are Clark's row houses on 73rd Street to the left.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

The Dakota was completed by the week of October 24–27, 1884.<ref name="Hawes p. 94" /><ref name="Brockmann2002" /> The building was fully rented upon its completion,<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /> though detractors considered the building to be isolated and criticized the Dakota as an "intrusion" onto Central Park's landscape.<ref name="Hawes pp. 93–94" /> According to historical records, the Dakota's earliest residents were active in a variety of industries.<ref name="Hawes p. 99" /><ref name=":0" /> The residents included lawyers, brokers, merchants, and clothiers, although they also included a cigar merchant, a coal-mine operator, and a stenographer.<ref name=":0">Template:Harvnb</ref> All of the Dakota's residents were wealthy, although not particularly famous.<ref name="NY1900" /><ref name="p110729327" /> None of the early residents were included in the "Four Hundred", a list of prominent individuals in New York society during the Gilded Age.<ref name="NY1900" /><ref name="Hawes p. 99" /> This was because of its remoteness; in the days before telephones became popular, people tended to make in-person social visits. It often took an hour just to reach the Dakota from the Ladies' Mile Historic District, which in the 1890s was the city's commercial center.<ref name="Hawes p. 100">Template:Harvnb</ref>

A law, restricting the height of large apartment houses in New York City to Template:Convert,<ref name="Willis x276">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn passed the year that the building was completed.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 565" /> The Dakota's address was originally 301 West 72nd Street, since the address numbers of buildings on Manhattan's west–east numbered streets were based on the building's distances from Fifth Avenue. In 1886, house numbers on the Upper West Side were renumbered based on distance from Central Park West (Eighth Avenue), so the Dakota became 1 West 72nd Street.<ref name="Alpern p. 37" /> In its first two years, the Dakota was not profitable,<ref name="nyt-1893-03-06" /> and the surrounding blocks were still not developed, particularly the lots to the north.<ref name="Hawes pp. 102–103">Template:Harvnb</ref> Even in 1890, the row houses on the same block were bringing more income than was the Dakota.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the early 1890s, there was a waiting list for vacant apartments.<ref name="nyt-1893-03-06" />

According to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the Dakota, along with the American Museum of Natural History several blocks north, helped establish the "early character" of Central Park West.<ref name="NYCL p. 21" /> The Dakota's completion spurred the construction of other large apartment buildings in the area,<ref name="nyt-1893-03-06">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 21">Template:Harvnb</ref> several of which were named after regions in the western United States.<ref name="Cromley p. 142">Template:Harvnb</ref> Other buildings, including a church, fire station, and rowhouses, also were developed nearby.<ref name="Hawes p. 102"/> Nonetheless, the Dakota remained the only large apartment building in the neighborhood until the end of the 19th century.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> A major reason was the lack of electricity in the area, since large apartment buildings needed electricity for their elevators, but the city did not install electric ducts along Central Park West until 1896. The Dakota had its own power plant, so the lack of municipal electric service did not affect the building.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

1900s to 1950s

View of the Dakota Apartments from Central Park in 1903

In 1903, the area was still sparsely developed, though street lamps and street signs had been added.<ref name="Alpern p. 62" />

The Clarks tried to sell off an adjacent plot to the north, between 73rd and 74th streets, in 1902 with the proviso that no building on that site be taller than the Dakota. The Clarks were unable to sell the plot with that restriction, and the Langham apartment building was erected on the site.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Images show that, in the first decades of the 20th century, some dormer windows were added on the roof of the building.<ref name="Alpern p. 62">Template:Harvnb</ref> Through the early 20th century, the Clark family retained ownership of the Dakota. A New York Herald Tribune article in 1929 noted that the Clarks have "for years resisted all attempts at purchase".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The New York Times wrote in the 1920s that the Dakota "has always maintained its old-time popularity".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Whereas the Dakota underwent few alterations in its first fifty years, the neighborhood changed dramatically during that period. The Dakota's main entrance on 72nd Street originally faced some shacks and gardens, but the high-rise Majestic Apartments overlooked the main entrance by the early 1930s.<ref name="nyt-1933-11-21" /><ref name="Alpern p. 106">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Edward S. Clark died in 1933, just before the Dakota's 50th anniversary, and his brother Stephen Carlton Clark took over the building's operation.<ref name="Alpern p. 107" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Stephen Clark intended to continue operating the Dakota and preserve the garden to the west.<ref name="Alpern p. 107" /><ref name="p1125467766" /> At the time, two of the tenants had lived there since its opening, and four of the other original tenants had died in the preceding three years.<ref name="nyt-1933-11-21" /><ref name="p1125467766" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> For the next three decades, the Dakota remained largely unchanged,<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /> and the building even retained its original elevators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Clarks were responsible for all repairs and maintenance and were subject to little, if any scrutiny.<ref name="Alpern p. 161">Template:Harvnb</ref>

By the 1950s, the servants' quarters on the upper stories had been converted to apartments. At the time, many tenants were diplomats, theatrical figures, or publishers.<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /> The building particularly appealed to theatrical figures because of its proximity to the Broadway Theater District, which was also on the West Side.<ref name="Alpern p. 124" /> There was also a long waiting list of potential tenants, and apartments rented for a relatively low $6,000 to $7,000 per year (equivalent to between $Template:Inflation and $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation/year).<ref name="AF p. 124" /><ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /> Some tenants, most of whom were friends of Stephen Clark, did not pay rent at all.<ref name="p510962323">Template:Cite news</ref> Residents tended to live in the building for several decades, leading The New York Times to observe: "It is reported that no Dakotan leaves the building permanently unless it is feet first".<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" />

Cooperative conversion

1960s to 1980s

File:Central Park West May 2022 46.jpg

Rounded windows on 72nd Street

In January 1961, the Glickman Corporation paid $4.6 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year) for the Dakota and an adjoining lot that contained the building's boiler room. Glickman planned to build New York City's largest apartment building on the combined site.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The residents announced plans to buy the building from the Glickman Corporation in April 1961 for $4.8 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Glickman dropped its plans to redevelop the Dakota and instead sold the adjacent Template:Cvt site in August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That November, the Dakota's tenants bought the building, which became a cooperative.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Mayfair was completed on the adjacent site in 1964; according to The New York Times, no plans were ever filed for a larger building on the Dakota's site.<ref name="nyt-2012-06-01" /> Under the co-op arrangement, the residents were obligated to share all maintenance and repair costs, which the Clark family had previously handled.<ref name="Alpern p. 161" /> The Dakota was one of twelve apartment buildings on Central Park West to be converted into housing cooperatives in the late 1950s and early 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the mid-1960s, members of the co-op had to pay fees of up to $14,400 a year (equivalent to $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation/year), in addition to a one-time down payment of no more than $60,000 on their apartments (equivalent to $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation/year).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the building employed about 30 staff.<ref name="Alpern p. 121" />

The Dakota's board of directors announced in 1974 that the roof would need to be replaced, since the slate tiles had started to fall off and the copper trim had deteriorated.<ref name="nyt-1974-02-17" /><ref name="Alpern p. 161" /> Since the building had been designated a New York City landmark five years prior,<ref name="nyt-1969-02-27" /> the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had to review every proposed modification to the exterior.<ref name="nyt-1974-02-17" /><ref name="Alpern p. 161" /> The LPC hired experts who determined that a full restoration would cost $1 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year), which amounted to an additional $10,000 assessment for each of the Dakota's 95 tenants. The board of directors decided to instead conduct a smaller-scale renovation. The Joseph K. Blum Company added waterproofing to the Dakota's roof for $160,000 (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year).<ref name="nyt-1974-02-17" /> The Dakota's board also voted in 1975 to ban the installation of air conditioners that protruded through the building's facade, since the LPC would have to approve every air conditioner that was installed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Dakota gained attention when John Lennon, a resident and former member of the rock band the Beatles, was shot dead outside the building on December 8, 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the Chicago Tribune, the Dakota became a makeshift memorial for Lennon, especially among fans of the Beatles. The murder also prompted concern among residents, who demanded more stringent security; all visitors were already required to pass through the security booth on 72nd Street.<ref name="p172229587">Template:Cite news</ref> Years after Lennon's death, the Dakota's residents tended to eschew publicity.<ref name="n101753611" /><ref name="wsj-2011-02-02">Template:Cite news</ref> The Dakota's board had rejected numerous high-profile personalities who had wanted to move into the building.<ref name="n101753611">Template:Cite news</ref> By then, there were 93 apartments, and the original floor plans had been rearranged extensively. Residents generally continued to live in the building for prolonged periods.<ref name="n101753611" /> The recessed areaway around the Dakota was restored in the mid-1980s, and architectural firm Glass & Glass began drawing up plans for a full restoration of the building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the late 1980s, people in the financial industry comprised an increasing proportion of the Dakota's residents; previously, many had worked in the arts.<ref name=p110729327>Template:Cite news</ref>

1990s to present

By 1992, the Dakota's facade was being cleaned.<ref name="Alpern p. 161" /><ref name="nyt-1992-10-11">Template:Cite news</ref> New mortar had been applied to the brickwork in the facade, but the light color of the mortar contrasted sharply with the darkened bricks.<ref name="nyt-1992-10-11" /> The Dakota's board decided to repair the most deteriorated bricks rather than replace the whole facade. The project was budgeted using unit pricing, since it was impossible to know how many bricks needed to be repaired until the entire facade had been examined. The repairs ultimately cost $5 million, amounting to an average assessment of $50,000 for each tenant.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The LPC gave craftsmanship awards to the restoration architects, Ehrenkrantz & Eckstut Architects and Remco, in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The fireplaces were also restored in the late 1990s or early 2000s, requiring some of the fireplace flues to be replaced.<ref name="Alpern p. 162" />

The Dakota's maintenance expenses were shared among fewer residents and tended to be much higher than at other nearby co-ops. For instance, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono paid a monthly fee of $12,566 for her Template:Cvt apartment in 1996, while a similarly-sized apartment at the nearby San Remo had a monthly maintenance cost of $6,000.<ref name="Mason p. 25" /> The Dakota's board announced in 2002 that it planned to restore the interior courtyard, and it hired Higgins & Quasebarth as a consulting architect.<ref name="nyt-2002-08-18">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the upper level of the courtyard had severe leaks, and the breezeway on the western side of the courtyard was "practically held up by paint".<ref name="Alpern p. 162" /><ref name="nyt-2002-08-18" /> The LPC approved all aspects of the planned renovation. Some residents wanted the glass breezeway in the courtyard to be removed, citing aesthetic concerns; preservationists said the general public would have not been able to see the breezeway anyway, since security had been tightened after Lennon's murder.<ref name="nyt-2002-08-18" /> The restoration of the courtyard started in February 2004 and was completed seven and a half months later.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

High demand for units at the Dakota continued into the 21st century.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dakota had 85 co-op units by the 2010s. Some of the smaller apartments had been combined over the years, and several units were restored to their original layouts.<ref name="wsj-2017-11-29" /> The building's facade was again renovated starting in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The project was completed two years later for $32 million.<ref name="wsj-2017-11-29" />

Residents

According to a 1996 article in New York magazine, many brokers classified the Dakota as one of five top-tier apartment buildings on Central Park West, largely because of its residents, large scale, and "historical prestige".<ref name="Mason p. 27">Template:Harvnb</ref> The others were 88 Central Park West, 101 Central Park West, the San Remo, and the Beresford.<ref name="Mason p. 27" /> As at other luxury apartment buildings in New York City, some of the Dakota's residents use their units as pieds-a-terre rather than as their primary residences.<ref name="Kane 2012" /> Notable residents of the Dakota have included:Template:Div col

Richard Adler, lyricist<ref name="p510962323" />
Lauren Bacall, actress<ref name="bacall-robards">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p510962323" />
Harley Baldwin, real estate developer and art dealer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Walter Becker, songwriter, musician, co-founder of Steely Dan<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ward Bennett, architect and designer<ref name="Alpern p. 126" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Leonard Bernstein, composer and conductor<ref name="PA 1979-07" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Graydon Carter, former editor of Vanity Fair<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Connie Chung, newscaster<ref name="Kane 2012" /><ref name="nymag" />
Rosemary Clooney, singer and actress<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" />
Harlan Coben, author<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bob Crewe, songwriter, record producer, and artist<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
José Ferrer, actor<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /><ref name="AF p. 126" />
Roberta Flack, singer<ref name="nyt-2010-12-06" />
Buddy Fletcher, businessman<ref name="Arak 2011" /><ref name="nyt-2011-02-02" />
Charles Henri Ford, poet, artist, and publisher<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ruth Ford, actress<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /><ref name="p510962323" />
Ketti Frings, playwright<ref name="p510962323" />
Judy Garland, actress<ref name="nymag">Template:Cite web</ref>
Lillian Gish, actress<ref name="Kane 2012" />
Paul Goldberger, architecture critic<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="PA 1979-07" />
Ydessa Hendeles, art collector<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Judy Holliday, actress<ref name="AF p. 126" /><ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" />
William Inge, playwright<ref name="nymag" />
Charles Douglas Jackson, Time Inc. executive<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" />
Charles Henry Jones, American journalist, editor, and political figure<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>
Michael Kahn, theatre director<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Boris Karloff, actor<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /><ref name="AF p. 126" />
Sidney Kingsley, playwright<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /><ref name="AF p. 126" />
John Lennon, musician and composer; murdered at the Dakota in 1980<ref name="nyt-2010-12-06" />
Sean Lennon, musician and composer; son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono<ref name="nyt-2010-12-06" />
John Madden, football coach and commentator<ref name="Kane 2012" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Marya Mannes, author and critic<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" />
Henry Masterson III, philanthropist<ref name="p510962323" />
Frederick S. Mates, financier<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Albert Maysles, documentary filmmaker<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John B. McDonald, contractor who worked on the first line of the New York City Subway<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Jo Mielziner, theatrical set designer<ref name="p510962323" />
Walter Millis, writer<ref name="Alpern p. 126" />
Joe Namath, football player<ref name="Kane 2012" />
Rudolf Nureyev, dancer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Rosie O'Donnell, actress<ref name="Guides 2017 p. 131">Template:Cite book</ref>
Yoko Ono, artist, widow of John Lennon; lived there until 2023<ref name=nyt-2023-07-21>Template:Cite news</ref>
Jack Palance, actor<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Ruth Porat, CFO of Alphabet and Google<ref name="trd-2022-03-14" />
Eric Portman, actor<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" />
Maury Povich, television host<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Gilda Radner, comedian<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Thomas Reardon, neuroscientist and technologist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rex Reed, critic<ref name="PA 1979-07" /><ref name="nymag" />
Jason Robards, actor<ref name="bacall-robards" /><ref name="p510962323" />
Jane Rosenthal, film producer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Wilbur Ross, financier<ref name="n101753611" />
Robert Ryan, actor<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Zachary Scott, actor<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /><ref name="AF p. 126" />
Eugenia Sheppard, writer<ref name="Alpern p. 126" /><ref name="p510962323" />
Paul Simon, musician<ref name="Kane 2012" />
Harper Simon, musician and composer; son of Paul Simon<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ruth P. Smith, advocate<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Michael Wager, actor<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Teresa Wright, actress<ref name="AF p. 126" />Template:Div col end

File:1 West 72nd Street (The Dakota) entrance by David Shankbone.jpg

Main entrance, where John Lennon was shot

The Dakota's co-op board, which decides whether to allow prospective tenants, has a reputation for selectivity.<ref name="wsj-2011-02-02" /><ref name="nyt-2010-12-06">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2011, The Wall Street Journal characterized the board as having "high standards and aversion to notoriety".<ref name="wsj-2011-02-02" /> A CNBC report in 2012 noted that one set of prospective tenants had to pay several thousand dollars for a background check, as well as submit several years' worth of financial and tax documents, and that even these measures did not guarantee that the tenants would be accepted.<ref name="Kane 2012" />

The Dakota's board maintains a set of house rules for residents and their guests; in 2011, The New York Times characterized several of the rules as appearing "like they could have been drafted when the building opened".<ref name="nyt-2011-03-01">Template:Cite news</ref> For example, "domestic employees, messengers and trades people" are required to use the service elevators, and healthcare and childcare providers must be accompanied by clients when they use the passenger elevators.<ref name="nyt-2011-03-01" /> Other rules include a restriction against leaving more than one car unattended in the driveway; a prohibition on "dance, vocal or instrumental instruction" in apartments; and a restriction on playing musical instruments or using a phonograph, radio, or TV loudspeaker between 11 p.m. and 9 a.m.<ref name="nyt-2011-03-01" /> Residents cannot throw away their apartments' original fireplace mantels or doors and must instead put them in a storage area in the basement.<ref name="Kane 2012" />

On numerous occasions, the board has refused to allow high-profile personalities to move into the building, including musicians Gene Simmons,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Billy Joel,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Carly Simon,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Madonna, and Cher, as well as baseball player Alex Rodriguez, and comedian Judd Apatow.<ref name="Kane 2012" /><ref name="trd-2022-03-14">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2002, the board rejected corrugated cardboard magnate Dennis Mehiel;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he was only allowed to move into the building 20 years later.<ref name="trd-2022-03-14" /> Another prospective tenant sued the Dakota's board in 2015 after the board prohibited him from moving into a unit he had bought 16 years prior.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Former resident Albert Maysles, who had unsuccessfully tried to sell his unit to Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, told The New York Times in 2005: "What's so shocking is that the building is losing its touch with interesting people. More and more, they're moving away from creative people and going toward people who just have the money."<ref name="Kane 2012">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Investor and resident Buddy Fletcher filed a lawsuit in 2011, claiming that the board had made racist remarks against would-be residents on numerous occasions,<ref name="Arak 2011">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nyt-2011-02-02">Template:Cite news</ref> but a New York state judge dismissed Fletcher's suit in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Impact

Reception

File:Central Park West May 2022 68.jpg

Windows on Central Park West

Before The Dakota was completed, architectural critic Montgomery Schuyler was skeptical of the building's potential, saying: "At present, it is too isolated to come to anything like an immediate favor with the wealthy classes..."<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /> By the time the Dakota opened, it was widely acclaimed.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The New York Daily Graphic wrote that the building was "one of the most perfect apartment houses in the world".<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /> The Real Estate Record and Guide wrote in 1884: "The owners have been fortunate in their architect, and Mr. Hardenbergh has been fortunate in his clients."<ref name="Alpern p. 24" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Two years later, H. W. Fabian referred to the Dakota as the "most excellent of any of the kind in New York",<ref name="NY1900" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and M. G. Van Rensselaer said the Dakota was the only apartment building she had ever seen that "merits praise".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Elizabeth Hawes said in her 1993 book New York, New York that the building looked "both important and unlikely" when it had been completed.<ref name="Hawes p. 93" />

Schuyler, reappraising the building in 1896, said: "The architectural results were so successful that it is a very considerable distinction to have designed the best apartment house in New York."<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 565">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Architectural Record spoke critically of the building's high quality, saying in 1902 that the fact that the Dakota was the best-designed apartment house along Central Park West "is not especially encouraging as an architectural sign of the times".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On the Dakota's 50th anniversary, the New York Herald Tribune described the building as standing "firmly on its unimpeachable foundations; somewhat shorter than its neighbors but immeasurably more impressive".<ref name="p1125467766" />

Commentary continued in later years. A New York Times article in 1959 described the Dakota's design as ranging "Victorian Kremlin" to "Middle Eastern Post Office",<ref name="nyt-1959-09-07" /> while Look magazine called the building a "maze of imaginative, distinctive living".<ref name="Alpern p. 126" /> Architect Robert A. M. Stern wrote in 1999: "The Dakota was an undisputed masterpiece, far and away the grandest apartment house of the Gilded Age in New York and rivaling, if not exceeding, in logic and luxury any comparable building in Paris and London".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /> Christopher Gray said in 2006 that "The Dakota remains Mount Olympus in the mythology of New York apartment houses, its baronial majesty the gauge by which all others must be judged."<ref name="nyt-2006-04-30" /> The Wall Street Journal referred to the Beresford, the Dakota, and the San Remo as the "three grand dames of the West Side".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Contemporary critics also commented about specific architectural elements of the Dakota. The Real Estate Record and Guide dubbed the dining suite as "the handsomest dining room in Manhattan".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> American Architect and Architecture wrote: "the court-yard is symmetrically and handsomely shaped".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 564" /><ref name="American Architect and Architecture 1891 p." /> American Architect had only one complaint: "The service-entrances to the suites are situated upon the same court-yard, so that grocers' wagons and ice-carts are almost always to be seen standing about in the space which should be reserved exclusively for more fashionable equipages, and for the promenades of the tenants of the house."<ref name="Alpern p. 31" /><ref name="American Architect and Architecture 1891 p.">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Hardenbergh, who remained involved in his designs after their completion,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> wrote a letter objecting to American ArchitectTemplate:'s characterization of the courtyard.<ref name="Alpern p. 31" />

Cultural impact and legacy

File:Central Park West May 2022 74.jpg

View from 73rd Street and Central Park West

Though the Dakota had an unusual design for its time, only one other luxury "communal palace" followed it: the Osborne on 57th Street.<ref name="Hawes p. 104">Template:Harvnb</ref> After the Dakota was completed, ornamental-iron contractor Hecla Iron Works published advertisements of the building in Architectural Record.<ref name="Alpern p. 117">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building and its inhabitants have been detailed in numerous periodicals, including Look and Architectural Forum.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Illustrations of the building appeared on several magazine covers, including the July 12, 1982, issue of The New Yorker magazine and the 1979 Christmas catalog for Brentano's bookstore.<ref name="Alpern p. 117" /> Numerous replicas of the building have been created, including a model at Legoland Florida, as well as merchandise such as tissue boxes.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The American Institute of Architects' 2007 survey List of America's Favorite Architecture ranked the Dakota among the top 150 buildings in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nyt-2007-05-27">Template:Cite news</ref>

The Dakota's history is detailed in at least two books. Stephen Birmingham's book Life at the Dakota was published in 1979,<ref name="n101753611" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while historian Andrew Alpern's book The Dakota: A History of the World's Best-Known Apartment Building was published in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nonetheless, relatively little scholarly material about the Dakota has been published. According to Wilbur Ross, a former president of the Dakota's board, a planned "centennial art book" about the building was canceled in 1984 because the Dakota was so poorly documented.<ref name="n101753611" /> The Dakota has also appeared in several popular media works, including Roman Polanski's 1968 film Rosemary's Baby<ref name="p172229587" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Bradley Cooper's Maestro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Chicago Tribune wrote that the "building's grim presence was introduced to most Americans" in that film.<ref name="p172229587" /> The building was also depicted in Jack Finney's 1970 novel Time and Again.<ref name="p172229587" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Dakota as a New York City landmark in February 1969.<ref name="nyt-1969-02-27">Template:Cite news</ref> The Dakota was also added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972<ref name="nris" /> and was re-added to the NRHP as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.<ref name="nhlsum" /><ref>Template:Cite web and Template:NHLS url Template:Small</ref> The Dakota is also part of the Central Park West Historic District, which was designated as an NRHP district in 1982,<ref>Template:NRISref</ref> as well as the Upper West Side Historic District, which became a New York City historic district in 1990.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

References

External links

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