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==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>{{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2002.pdf |title=Riverside Park and Riverside Drive |date=February 9, 1980 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |page=7 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226210806/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2002.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Alpern p. 35">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=35}}</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">{{harvnb|Cromley|1990|p=143|ps=.}}</ref> Major developments on the West Side were erected after the [[IRT Ninth Avenue Line|Ninth Avenue elevated line]] opened in 1879, providing direct access to [[Lower Manhattan]].<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 562">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|ps=.|p=562}}</ref> A group of businessmen formed the West Side Association the same year.<ref name="Alpern p. 36">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=36}}</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>{{cite magazine |date=December 27, 1879 |title=The City of the Future |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vollist=1&vol=ldpd_7031128_024&page=ldpd_7031128_024_00000568 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=24 |pages=Supplement 2 |number=615 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514041254/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vollist=1&vol=ldpd_7031128_024&page=ldpd_7031128_024_00000568 |url-status=live}}</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. 93β94">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|pages=93β94}}</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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=45}}</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>{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=September 9, 1984 |title=Architecture Will Mainly Be Seen in Museums |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/09/arts/architecture-will-mainly-be-seen-in-museums.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524152206/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/09/arts/architecture-will-mainly-be-seen-in-museums.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=August 14, 1988 |title=Streetscapes: The Manhattan Apartment House An 1880 Yorkville Survivor Destined for Demolition |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/14/realestate/streetscapes-manhattan-apartment-housean-1880-yorkville-survivor-destined-for.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130105845/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/14/realestate/streetscapes-manhattan-apartment-housean-1880-yorkville-survivor-destined-for.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite web |last=Kurshan |first=Virginia |date=October 29, 2002 |title=Ritz Tower |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2118.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2022-05-16 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |pages=4β5 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601040530/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2118.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{Cite New York 1930|page=206}}</ref> Between 1880 and 1885, more than ninety apartment buildings were developed in the city.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 7, 1885 |title=How the Great Apartment Houses Have Paid |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031138_001&page=ldpd_7031138_001_00000152&no=10 |url-status=live |volume=35 |issue=882 |pages=127β128 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506014424/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031138_001&page=ldpd_7031138_001_00000152&no=10 |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=May 6, 2022 |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide}}</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 (Manhattan)|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">{{cite magazine |date=October 2, 1880 |title=Buildings Projected |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_026&page=ldpd_7031128_026_00000290&no=1 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=26 |pages=864 |number=655 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |access-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514041207/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_026&page=ldpd_7031128_026_00000290&no=1 |url-status=live}}</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">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=54}}</ref> Construction commenced at the end of October 1880.<ref name="Brockmann2002">{{cite book |last1=Brockmann |first1=Jorg |last2=Harris |first2=Bill |title=One Thousand New York Buildings |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers |date=2002 |isbn=978-1-57912-443-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gJR_PahlUtIC |oclc=48619292 |pages=342β343 |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515233347/https://books.google.com/books?id=gJR_PahlUtIC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 31, 1880 |title=Proposed New Uptown Flats |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1880/10/31/archives/proposed-new-uptown-flats.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511180848/https://www.nytimes.com/1880/10/31/archives/proposed-new-uptown-flats.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite magazine |date=October 8, 1881 |title=Mining Information |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_028&page=ldpd_7031128_028_00000286&no=3 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=28 |pages=942 |number=708 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512165237/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_028&page=ldpd_7031128_028_00000286&no=3 |url-status=live}}</ref> As part of the project, Clark also excavated an [[Artesian well]] measuring about {{cvt|365|ft}} deep and {{cvt|8|in}} wide.<ref name="Alpern p. 54" /><ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 22, 1881 |title=Artesian Wells in New York |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_028&page=ldpd_7031128_028_00000330&no=1 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=28 |pages=986 |number=710 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512165245/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_028&page=ldpd_7031128_028_00000330&no=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> Work was slightly delayed by a [[labor strike]] in March 1882.<ref>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=54β55}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 25, 1882 |title=Published Weekly by The Real Estate Record Association |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_029&page=ldpd_7031128_029_00000287&no=2 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=29 |pages=269 |number=732 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512165239/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031128_029&page=ldpd_7031128_029_00000287&no=2 |url-status=live}}</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">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=September 28, 1986 |title=What Are Dakota and Montana Doing in New York? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/28/realestate/what-are-dakota-and-montana-doing-in-new-york.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511182342/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/28/realestate/what-are-dakota-and-montana-doing-in-new-york.html |url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, the development was still within a rural part of Manhattan.<ref name="Hawes p. 93">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|page=93}}</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">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=August 15, 1993 |title=Streetscapes: The Dakota; The Elusive Mystery of Its Name |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/15/realestate/streetscapes-the-dakota-the-elusive-mystery-of-its-name.html |access-date=October 27, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027131042/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/15/realestate/streetscapes-the-dakota-the-elusive-mystery-of-its-name.html |url-status=live}}</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">{{cite news |date=November 21, 1933 |title=Dakota, Hotel 50 Yrs., Looks Forward to 100: 'Clark's Folly' in Mild '80s, Later Passe, It Seems To Be Starting New Cycle New Owner Felicitated Founder's Brother Disavows Any Intent to Demolish |page=18 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1125467766}}}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=37β38}}</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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=36β37}}</ref>{{efn|In particular, he proposed the following names:<ref name="nyt-1986-09-28" /> * Central Park West β Montana Place * Columbus (9th) Avenue β Wyoming Place * Amsterdam (10th) Avenue β Arizona Place * West End (11th) Avenue β Idaho Place}} 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">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=24}}</ref> their final collaboration, the Ontiora at [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]] and [[55th Street (Manhattan)|55th Street]], was similar in design to the Dakota.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=March 9, 1997 |title=Behind a Scruffy Facade, Kinship to the Dakota |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/09/realestate/behind-a-scruffy-facade-kinship-to-the-dakota.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227092248/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/09/realestate/behind-a-scruffy-facade-kinship-to-the-dakota.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite news |date=August 24, 1883 |title=Plasterers Called Out; the Strike at the Dakota Flats Because Non-union Men Are Employed |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/08/24/archives/plasterers-called-out-the-strike-at-the-dakota-flats-because.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511182348/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/08/24/archives/plasterers-called-out-the-strike-at-the-dakota-flats-because.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=August 19, 1883 |title=Coercing Non Union Men |page=7 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|573094651}}}}</ref> Other tradesmen joined the strike but returned to work within a month.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 12, 1883 |title=A Strike Ended |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/09/12/archives/a-strike-ended.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511182343/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/09/12/archives/a-strike-ended.html |url-status=live}}</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 ${{Inflation|index=US|value=1500|start_year=1884|r=-3|fmt=c}} and ${{Inflation|index=US|value=5000|start_year=1884|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}) and that one-quarter of the units had already been rented.<ref name="Alpern p. 56" /><ref>{{cite magazine |date=September 20, 1884 |title=Prominent Buildings Under Way |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vollist=1&vol=ldpd_7031128_034&page=ldpd_7031128_034_00000272 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=34 |pages=948 |number=862 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514041204/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vollist=1&vol=ldpd_7031128_034&page=ldpd_7031128_034_00000272 |url-status=live}}</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. 97β98">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|pages=97β98}}</ref> === Clark family ownership === ==== 1880s and 1890s ==== [[File:The Dakota 1890b.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=61}}</ref>|alt=The Dakota Apartments as seen from Eighth Avenue circa 1890]] The Dakota was completed by the week of October 24β27, 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. 93β94" /> 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">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=97β100}}</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 "[[The Four Hundred (Gilded Age)|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">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|page=100}}</ref> A law, restricting the height of large apartment houses in New York City to {{convert|80|ft}},<ref name="Willis x276">{{cite web |last=Willis |first=Carol |title=Ten & Taller: the Skyscraper Museum |url=https://old.skyscraper.org/tenandtaller/residential.php |access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=The Skyscraper Museum}}</ref>{{Efn|This was the height limit for wider streets. Apartment buildings were limited to {{convert|70|ft}} on narrower streets.<ref name="Willis x276"/>}} passed the year that the building was completed.<ref>{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=134}}</ref><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 565" /> The Dakota's address was originally 301 West 72nd Street, since the [[House numbering|address numbers]] of buildings on Manhattan's westβeast 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. 102β103">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|pages=102β103}}</ref> Even in 1890, the row houses on the same block were bringing more income than was the Dakota.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 12, 1890 |title=No More Big Flats in New York.: the Building of Them Has Stoppedβthey Do Not Pay Well. |page=4 |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |id={{ProQuest|174375368}}}}</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">{{Cite news |date=March 6, 1893 |title=West Side Family Hotels; Their Success Assures the Construction of Many More |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/03/06/archives/west-side-family-hotels-their-success-assures-the-construction-of.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511192505/https://www.nytimes.com/1893/03/06/archives/west-side-family-hotels-their-success-assures-the-construction-of.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 21">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1990|ps=.|p=21}}</ref> several of which were named after regions in the western United States.<ref name="Cromley p. 142">{{harvnb|Cromley|1990|p=142|ps=.}}</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>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1990|ps=.|p=54}}</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>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1990|ps=.|pp=15β16}}</ref> ==== 1900s to 1950s ==== [[File:Dakota Flats, N.Y. LCCN90712246.jpg|alt=View of the Dakota Apartments from Central Park in 1903|thumb|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>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=1998-09-20 |title=Streetscapes/The Langham, Central Park West and 73d Street; Tall and Sophisticated, and Just North of the Dakota |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/20/realestate/streetscapes-langham-central-park-west-73d-street-tall-sophisticated-just-north.html |access-date=2022-05-14 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514180450/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/20/realestate/streetscapes-langham-central-park-west-73d-street-tall-sophisticated-just-north.html |url-status=live }}</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">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=62}}</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>{{cite news |date=July 14, 1929 |title=West 72d Street Now Undergoing Radical Changes: Old Dwellings, Well Known Hotels Are Giving Way to New Apartment Projects |page=D1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1111992147}}}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote in the 1920s that the Dakota "has always maintained its old-time popularity".<ref>{{cite news |date=August 15, 1926 |title=West Side Street Has Been Rebuilt |page=RE1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|103602096}}}}</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">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=106}}</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>{{cite news |date=October 1, 1933 |title=2 Brothers Get Clark's Estate Of $30,000,000: Stephen C. and Frederick A. Clark Inherit Bulk of Sewing Machine Fortune Hint of Million Charity Large Bequests Contingent Upon 'Certain Projects' |page=26 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114669365}}}}</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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=106β107}}</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>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Meyer |date=February 6, 1956 |title=About New York; Quakers in Gramercy Park Area Look to Union --73-Year-Old Elevator Still Going Strong |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/02/06/archives/about-new-york-quakers-in-gramercy-park-area-look-to-union.html |access-date=May 12, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512183347/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/02/06/archives/about-new-york-quakers-in-gramercy-park-area-look-to-union.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Clarks were responsible for all repairs and maintenance and were subject to little, if any scrutiny.<ref name="Alpern p. 161">{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=161}}</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 [[Theater District, Manhattan|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 ${{Inflation|index=US|value=6000|start_year=1950|fmt=c}} and ${{Inflation|index=US|value=7000|start_year=1950|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}).<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">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|510962323}} |title=One of New York's oldest status symbols |first=June |last=Carroll |date=March 6, 1967 |page=12 |work=The Christian Science Monitor}}</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|thumb|Rounded windows on 72nd Street]] In January 1961, the Glickman Corporation paid $4.6 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=4.6|start_year=1961|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}) 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>{{Cite news |last=Stern |first=Walter H. |date=January 26, 1961 |title=Dakota Apartments to Be Sold; Buyer May Raze 1881 Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/01/26/archives/dakota-apartments-to-be-sold-buyer-may-raze-1881-building.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511143227/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/01/26/archives/dakota-apartments-to-be-sold-buyer-may-raze-1881-building.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The residents announced plans to buy the building from the Glickman Corporation in April 1961 for $4.8 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=4.8|start_year=1961|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=April 11, 1961 |title=Dakota Tenants to Buy Building; 4.8 Million Price Is Set for 80-Year-Old Apartment House on 72d Street |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/04/11/archives/dakota-tenants-to-buy-building-48-million-price-is-set-for.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511123832/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/04/11/archives/dakota-tenants-to-buy-building-48-million-price-is-set-for.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Glickman dropped its plans to redevelop the Dakota and instead sold the adjacent {{cvt|46000|ft2|adj=on}} site in August.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 3, 1961 |title=Realty Firm Plans Large Apartments: Buys West Side Plot Near Park |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1326282737}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 3, 1961 |title=72d St. Car Lot Bought As Site for Apartments |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/08/03/archives/72d-st-car-lot-bought-as-site-for-apartments.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511143227/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/08/03/archives/72d-st-car-lot-bought-as-site-for-apartments.html |url-status=live}}</ref> That November, the Dakota's tenants bought the building, which became a cooperative.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 22, 1961 |title=Tenants Buy Landmark; The Dakota, at 1 W. 72d St., Becomes a Cooperative |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/11/22/archives/tenants-buy-landmark-the-dakota-at-1-w-72d-st-becomes-a-cooperative.html |access-date=May 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511123831/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/11/22/archives/tenants-buy-landmark-the-dakota-at-1-w-72d-st-becomes-a-cooperative.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite news |date=April 26, 1964 |title=Trend to Co-ops Still Westward: 12 Former Rental Buildings on Central Park Have Converted in 5 Years |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|115760359}}}}</ref> By the mid-1960s, members of the co-op had to pay fees of up to $14,400 a year (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=14400|start_year=1965|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}), in addition to a one-time down payment of no more than $60,000 on their apartments (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=60000|start_year=1965|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}).<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|115899320}} |title=Neighboring Apartment Houses Illustrate 83-Year Transition on West Side |first=William |last=Robbins |date=October 11, 1964 |page=R1 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</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 ${{Inflation|index=US|value=1|start_year=1974|r=2|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}), 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 ${{Inflation|index=US|value=0.16|start_year=1974|r=2|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}).<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>{{Cite news |date=August 31, 1975 |title=The Dakota Bans Some Cooling Units |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/31/archives/the-dakota-bans-some-cooling-units.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514041204/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/31/archives/the-dakota-bans-some-cooling-units.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Dakota gained attention when [[John Lennon]], a resident and former member of the rock band [[the Beatles]], was [[Murder of John Lennon|shot dead]] outside the building on December 8, 1980.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ledbetter |first=Les |date=December 9, 1980 |title=John Lennon of Beatles Is Killed |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/09/archives/john-lennon-of-beatles-is-killed-suspect-held-in-shooting-at-dakota.html |access-date=December 8, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207174140/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/09/archives/john-lennon-of-beatles-is-killed-suspect-held-in-shooting-at-dakota.html |url-status=live}}</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">{{cite news |last=Worthington |first=Rogers |date=December 11, 1980 |title=Tempo: The Dakota: An institution turned Lennon memorial |page=A1 |work=Chicago Tribune |id={{ProQuest|172229587}}}}</ref> Years after Lennon's death, the Dakota's residents tended to eschew publicity.<ref name="n101753611" /><ref name="wsj-2011-02-02">{{Cite news |last=Barbanel |first=Josh |date=February 2, 2011 |title=Butler Did It: Sells Dakota Co-op |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703445904576118480637514922 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513043329/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703445904576118480637514922 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Dakota's board had rejected numerous high-profile personalities who had wanted to move into the building.<ref name="n101753611">{{Cite news |last=Colford |first=Paul D. |date=January 3, 1984 |title=The One, The Only... The Dakota |pages=78, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101753611/ 79], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101753627/ 80] |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101753559/the-one-the-only-the-dakotapaul-d/ |access-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513005009/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101753559/the-one-the-only-the-dakotapaul-d/ |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite news |last=Giovannini |first=Joseph |date=July 11, 1985 |title=Architectural Advice for Co-op Boards |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/11/garden/architectural-advice-for-co-op-boards.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125184336/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/11/garden/architectural-advice-for-co-op-boards.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|110729327}} |title=Its Prices and Prestige Rise as Demand Grows For Grand Old Co-ops: Central Park West Gains on Fifth Avenue |first=Mark|last=McCain |date=6 Sep 1987 |page=R1 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ==== 1990s to present ==== By 1992, the Dakota's facade was being cleaned.<ref name="Alpern p. 161" /><ref name="nyt-1992-10-11">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=October 11, 1992 |title=Getting the Grime off the Face of the City |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/11/realestate/getting-the-grime-off-the-face-of-the-city.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030235412/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/11/realestate/getting-the-grime-off-the-face-of-the-city.html |url-status=live}}</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 price|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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|pp=161β162}}</ref> The LPC gave craftsmanship awards to the restoration architects, Ehrenkrantz & Eckstut Architects and Remco, in 1994.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1994 |title=Postings: Landmarks Preservation Commission Awards; 13 Projects Win Citations for Enhancing the Urban Environment |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/12/realestate/postings-landmarks-preservation-commission-awards-13-projects-win-citations-for.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223221532/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/12/realestate/postings-landmarks-preservation-commission-awards-13-projects-win-citations-for.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The fireplaces were also restored in the late 1990s or early 2000s, requiring some of the fireplace [[flue]]s 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 {{cvt|6000|ft2|adj=on}} apartment in 1996, while a similarly-sized apartment at the nearby [[The San Remo|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">{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Denny |date=August 18, 2002 |title=Neighborhood Report: Upper West Side; Dakota Will Get Its Repairs, But Many Eyes Will Watch |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/18/nyregion/neighborhood-report-upper-west-side-dakota-will-get-its-repairs-but-many-eyes.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128235500/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/18/nyregion/neighborhood-report-upper-west-side-dakota-will-get-its-repairs-but-many-eyes.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{harvnb|Alpern|2015|ps=.|p=163}}</ref> High demand for units at the Dakota continued into the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barbanel |first=Josh |date=September 18, 2015 |title=Forced Sales Set for Apartments at the Dakota |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/forced-sales-set-for-apartmentsat-the-dakota-1442537723 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203051949/https://www.wsj.com/articles/forced-sales-set-for-apartmentsat-the-dakota-1442537723 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McMullen |first=Troy |date=May 4, 2017 |title=Central Park West: one of New York's most sought-after addresses |url=https://www.ft.com/content/733bcaae-2a97-11e7-bc4b-5528796fe35c |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Financial Times |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129091729/https://www.ft.com/content/733bcaae-2a97-11e7-bc4b-5528796fe35c |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Zoe |date=April 3, 2015 |title=The Iconic Dakota, Built in 1884, Is Getting Some Work Done |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2015/4/3/9974052/the-iconic-dakota-built-in-1884-is-getting-some-work-done |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712004523/https://ny.curbed.com/2015/4/3/9974052/the-iconic-dakota-built-in-1884-is-getting-some-work-done |url-status=live}}</ref> The project was completed two years later for $32 million.<ref name="wsj-2017-11-29" />
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