Editing The Dakota (section)

=== 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">{{Harvnb|Batter|1964|p=98}}; {{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=126}}</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">{{Cite news |last=Lasky |first=Julie |date=November 17, 2017 |title=A Peek Inside Some of New York's Most Glamorous Apartments |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/realestate/peek-inside-new-york-citys-glamorous-apartments.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226173717/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/realestate/peek-inside-new-york-citys-glamorous-apartments.html |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</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">{{harvnb|Cromley|1990|p=154|ps=.}}</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">{{harvnb|Cromley|1990|pp=154–155|ps=.}}</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 Worldwide|Otis Elevators]] and were finished in mahogany.<ref>{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1959|p=129}}; {{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=134}}</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 [[dumbwaiter]]s,<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">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1976|ps=.|p=6}}</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">{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Nan |date=September 7, 1959 |title=The Fabulous Dakota Remains Symbol of Elegant Apartment Living Here; West Side Structure Was Opened in '81 – Cost $2,000,000 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/09/07/archives/the-fabulous-dakota-remains-symbol-of-elegant-apartment-living-here.html |access-date=May 12, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512183341/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/09/07/archives/the-fabulous-dakota-remains-symbol-of-elegant-apartment-living-here.html |url-status=live}}</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" />{{Efn|Sources disagree on the number of apartments that the Dakota originally had. {{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|p=229}}, and {{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|p=561}}, give a figure of 85 apartments; a contemporary source cited in {{harvnb|National Park Service|1976|p=6}} mentions 65 apartments; {{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|p=135}} cites 58 apartments; and {{harvnb|The Manufacturer and Builder|1882}} cites 50 apartments.}} The initial plans had called for six<ref name="Stern (1999) pp. 562-564" /><ref name="Alpern pp. 53-54">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=53–54}}</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">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|page=96}}</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">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|ps=.|pp=562, 564}}</ref><ref name="Alpern pp. 52-53">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=52–53}}</ref><ref name="wsj-2017-11-29">{{Cite news |last=Barbanel |first=Josh |date=November 29, 2017 |title=Wanted: Buyer to Restore Some Grandeur to Manhattan's Dakota Building |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/wanted-buyer-to-restore-some-grandeur-to-manhattans-dakota-building-1511977060 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=April 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420055427/https://www.wsj.com/articles/wanted-buyer-to-restore-some-grandeur-to-manhattans-dakota-building-1511977060 |url-status=live}}</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">{{Harvnb|Batter|1964|p=94}}; {{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=122}}</ref> The Dakota's [[Engineering drawing|construction drawings]] are no longer extant, so the original arrangement of the apartments is known only from written descriptions.<ref name="Alpern p. 48">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=48}}</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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=71}}</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">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|page=99}}</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">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|ps=.|p=564}}</ref> 

====== Materials and dimensions ======
Ceiling heights ranged from {{cvt|15|ft}} at the first story to {{cvt|12|ft}} at the eighth story.<ref name="Reynolds p. 229" /><ref name="AF p. 127">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1959|p=127}}; {{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=132}}</ref> The largest drawing room in the building was {{cvt|49|ft}} 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 {{cvt|25|by|40|ft}}<ref name="nyt-1884-10-22" /><ref name="NPS (1976) p. 6" /> or {{cvt|15|by|27|ft}}.<ref name="Hawes p. 99" />  Typical antechambers in the Dakota measured {{cvt|12|by|12|ft}}; drawing rooms, {{cvt|18|by|20|ft}}; bedrooms, {{cvt|14|by|22|ft}}; and dining rooms, {{cvt|12|by|20|ft}}.<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 [[Parquetry|parqueted]] floors are inlaid with [[mahogany]], [[oak]], and [[cherry]],<ref name="NYCL-0280" /><ref>{{cite web |date=February 22, 2015 |title=New York Architecture Photos: Dakota Apartments |url=http://www.newyorkitecture.com/dakota-apartments/ |work=NewYorkitecture |access-date=May 12, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080840/http://www.newyorkitecture.com/dakota-apartments/ |url-status=live}}</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 [[hearth]]s; 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 mantel|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">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|page=101}}</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">{{Harvnb|Batter|1964|p=95}}; {{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=123}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|pp=143–149}}; {{cite magazine |last1=Gueft |first1=Olga |title=At Home in the Dakota |pages=58–64 |magazine=Interiors}}</ref> while interior designer [[Ward Bennett]] repurposed a servant's living area under the roof as a studio.<ref>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|pp=151–156}}; {{cite magazine |last1= |first1= |date=February 1965 |title=A Rooftop Eyrie Gives a Modern Designer Exactly the Home He Wants |pages=116–121 |magazine=House & Garden}}</ref><ref name="PA 1979-07">{{cite magazine |date=July 1979 |title=Rooms at the top |url=https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1979-07.pdf |magazine=Progressive Architecture |volume=60 |pages=77 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802021444/https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1979-07.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Dancer [[Rudolf Nureyev]] placed classical paintings in his living room and theatrical artwork in other rooms.<ref>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=138}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Slesin |first=Suzanne |date=September 26, 1993 |title=Design; The Nutcracker Suite |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/26/magazine/design-the-nutcracker-suite.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118091600/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/26/magazine/design-the-nutcracker-suite.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Some units have been substantially redesigned; for example, a four-bedroom unit was renovated in the modern style in the 2010s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nonko |first=Emily |date=September 20, 2015 |title=This $17.5 Million Co-Op at the Dakota Has Gone Totally Mod! |url=https://www.6sqft.com/this-17-5-million-co-op-at-the-dakota-has-gone-totally-mod/ |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=6sqft |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423120321/https://www.6sqft.com/this-17-5-million-co-op-at-the-dakota-has-gone-totally-mod/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Zoe |date=September 17, 2015 |title=A Funky, Whimsical Four-Bedroom In The Dakota Seeks $17.5M |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2015/9/17/9920358/a-funky-whimsical-four-bedroom-in-the-dakota-seeks-17-5m |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513040833/https://ny.curbed.com/2015/9/17/9920358/a-funky-whimsical-four-bedroom-in-the-dakota-seeks-17-5m |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite magazine |date=October 23, 1884 |title=Art Notes and News |magazine=The Art Interchange |volume=13 |issue=9 |page=101 |id={{ProQuest|128289378}}}}</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" />