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

by Stephen Birmingham

A history of the Manhattan building and its famous tenants, from Lauren Bacall to John Lennon, by the New York Times–bestselling author of “Our Crowd”.

When Singer sewing machine tycoon Edward Clark built a luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in the late 1800s, it was derisively dubbed “the Dakota” for being as far from the center of the downtown action as its namesake territory on the nation’s western frontier. Despite its remote location, the quirky German Renaissance–style castle, with its intricate façade, peculiar interior design, and gargoyle guardians peering down on Central Park, was an immediate hit, particularly among the city’s well-heeled intellectuals and artists.
 
Over the next century it would become home to an eclectic cast of celebrity residents—including Boris Karloff, Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, singer Roberta Flack (the Dakota’s first African-American resident), and John Lennon and Yoko Ono—who were charmed by its labyrinthine interior and secret passageways, its mysterious past, and its ghosts. Stephen Birmingham, author of the New York society classic “Our Crowd”, has written an engrossing history of the first hundred years of one of the most storied residential addresses in Manhattan and the legendary lives lived within its walls.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, New York, Biography, Historical, Architecture, Unfinished

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 1979

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

could only have been better if i was reading it while sitting in my apt in the Dakota....

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

05/2018

This book is from 1979 (I looked into this because it talks about John Lennon like he's alive, though he was shot outside the Dakota in 1980). It is cool that a non fiction book of this vintage is available for Kindle. This tells a great history of Manhattan (gets boringish talking about all the people who lived there).

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address was a very interesting book of the history, not only of the historic and iconic Dakota, but a most interesting account of the history of New York City. This luxury apartment was built in the late 1800's by Edward Clark, owner of Singer sewing machines. If you love architecture and history, this is a wonderful book as it describes how this beautiful apartment house was built. It is also replete with gossip regarding its most famous residents, notably Lauren Bacall, John and Yoko Lennon, Leonard Bernstein and Roberta Flack as well as the setting of the chilling movie, 'Rosemary's Baby'. But the predominant theme of this book was the evolution of this historic hotel as it adapted to a changing city and apartment house in the heart of Manhattan with New York's historic Central Park as its front yard.

"By 1960 the Dakota had become a survivor in itself--New York's oldest standing luxury apartment dwelling, a city showplace for nearly eighty years. Its very appearance--that block-long crenelated façade of weather-stained yellow brick, and chocolate-covered stone, surrounded by a dry moat--was no longer technically beautiful but was imposing, not to say daunting. If New York had become a city of expanded egos, the Dakota had become a building designed to swell the ego even more."

"The building had come to represent everything that was pleasant and rewarding about life in New York, but it also reflected everything about New York life that was threatening, frightening and uncertain. Every battle or crusade that the city had undergone had also been confronted, on a smaller scale, at the Dakota."

"When the city commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted to design the park, it displayed a rare genius and sensitivity. Hardly ever before in the history of the United States had the principles of art been applied to the embellishment of nature or the landscape in a public park. Olmsted laid out walks, fountains, lakes, formal gardens, five miles of bridle paths, vistas, great grassy areas and a wide quarter-mile-long Mall leading into the park from its main entrance at Fifty-Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue. Other sections were left wild and wooded with a ground cover of wildflowers."

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting history lesson, not just on the Dakota, but on New York.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a good history of the apartment building the Dakota that stands in Gothic glory across the street from West side Central Park on 72nd street.

I love reading the histories of these famous buildings and this book did not disappoint.

We see how the builder Edward C. Clark had vision when everyone else saw the area north of 53rd Street as a barren wilderness (hence the name Dakota, after the Dakota Territories) because there was nothing up there but country.

Clark met up with a poor Jewish immigrant who fixed sewing machines and developed a better one, that no one took seriously. Except Clark. As a Lawyer, Clark patented it and made a serious advertisement campaign, changing the image of sewing machines as a poor immigrant laborers work tool, to a machine every lady must have in her home.

Thus the inventor Isaac Singer and Edward Clark made millions off of the Singer Sewing machine.

This happened when Clark was a younger man. He didn't begin to imagine the Dakota until he was in his seventies. However, the money he made off of Singer's sewing machine gave him the money to embark what what everyone else considered a crazy scheme to make an apartment building in no man's land.

This was during the 1880s. At that time New York was clearly divided between the American Aristocracy, the Waldorffs, the Astors, etc...and everyone else. They all lived below 53rd Street on the East Side. No one worth knowing lived anywhere else. Clark decided he was going to provide living space for the middle rich and the up and coming rich. Rich people who had not inherited their wealth but actually earned it. Shocking!

Stephen Birmingham gives lively descriptions of many of the better known occupants of the building, from the Steinways (of grand piano fame) to various actors and actresses such as Lauren Bacall, Music conductor Leonard Bernstein, all the way to the sixties and seventies when the first black woman moved in (Roberta Flack) and also the rebellious, peace activist turned hauteur-biourgeious ex-Beatle, John Lennon with Yoko Ono.

This book was published in 1979, shortly before Lennon's death so it doesn't include his murder right outside the Dakota Building, which, sadly is why most people not from New York City know about the building. It provides a unique insight as to how John Lennon had largely disappeared from sight in the 1970s and Birmingham clearly saw him as a has-been musician who could be heard from the other floors "playing lonely little melodies on his guitar in his living room on the seventh floor."

While this tells me the author belonged to an earlier generation who did not have much use for rock musicians, it also shows his lack of foresight. Around the time the book was published John Lennon had released a magnificent album with some of his most mature music to date. The songs revealed a man who had matured and mellowed and who knows what he had in store for us if his life had not been dreadfully cut short.

I suppose I'm showing my own bias there. Nevertheless, I recommend this book as a great addition to anyone's library of historical buildings.

[Dane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The history of the building and descriptions of the interiors are fascinating to me, given that I am crazy about cozy, byzantine spaces. However, no pictures of anything much inside the building is disappointing.

The descriptions of the tenants and their behavior though, are really off-putting. It seems likely that the author either intended this to be a book primarily for the tenants of the building or was given such free access to the tenants and the building to write his book on the condition of having to basically write a vanity project for the tenants. Anyway, he goes in to way too much detail about these people's lives (and they were contemporaries, we're not talking about only historical tenants) and that felt kind of gross. Even if at this point, it's all so long ago (1979) that many are likely gone now.

On another note, it is very weird, hearing everything he has to say about "the John Lennons" (not always terribly flattering) and their coming and going from the building, given that within a year of the book's publishing, John would be murdered in the entranceway.

I would be remiss if I didn't make note of the outdated and unkind, by our modern standards, attitudes and remarks in the book regarding African-Americans, Jewish people, and gay people. I was brought up short continually.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

This was a fun read. . . for the first half to 2/3rds. . .then something odd happened with the politics of running the place and how it changed.

Really it's a model of how housing throughout the US has adapted some odd solutions - HOAs, property management companies, and cooperatives. Some work, and some don't, depending on the individuals living within.

My favorite nugget of knowledge was discovering what a rascal Isaac Singer (Singer Sewing Machines) was, and that amongst the many, many women with which he "sewed" he had a favorite, Isabella. Upon his death, although they were married, he'd had a big family prior to that marriage, and Isaac was already a common-law hubby when he and Isabella wed. Still, she was able to convince NY courts that she had legitimate claim to be listed as his official "wife" and inherit. Nice for all the Singer offspring, he had plenty to go around. Isabella took her share off to Paris to continue to play, and play included modeling for artists. One story is that one of those for who she struck a pose was Bartholdi, and that she was the model for the Statute of Liberty. (The other story is that the model for the SoL was Bartholdi's mama. We'll never know!) Weird stuff you learn reading about completely other random stuff.

Back to Life at the Dakota - if you are crazy about NY, old buildings in NY, Edward Clark, or any of the many people who have lived in the building, or Central Park - you will enjoy at least half of this book. The rest is very businessy, specific to the business of the Dakota.

[Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help it, I love to read about real estate and zany rich people. This one from 1979 is wonderfully entertaining. I was even captivated by the minutiae of the Dakotans going co-op. The ending was a tiny bit depressing, what with the way the building was deteriorating. I gasped in horror at the mention of people tearing down their walnut paneling and painting over their fireplaces, although it is difficult to lament the changing of the times when it comes to social attitudes. I'm sure the Dakota is as elitist today as ever, but hopefully not as discriminatory.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something mythic about the Dakota, the iconic apartment on the corner of what is now W72nd and Central Park West, used as the setting for Rosemary's Baby. When built, it was so far north from "everything," New Yorkers told its builder it might as well be in the territories. Hence its name, and some of the detailing on its facade. The parts I enjoyed most were about East vs West sides, the era of the 1880's, its construction details, and residents of its earlier days. But I began to fade at the gossipy tone of later chapters. The book was published in 1979, and the power struggles between residents were more relevant 30 years ago. Also, John Lennon was still alive, and his and Yoko Ono's presence was example of what was seen as a new order not exactly welcome by some. I wish there was some update on the building's life available. Zillow searches indicate the building has definitely held its mystique. It is still one of the most desireable addresses in the City if not the entire country -- units are available for as much as $39M.

[Felecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but outdated. Book was written in 1979. But it was recently featured on Amazon so I purchased it without realizing how old it was. Would have liked more current info.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a daily sale book for a dollar, but it intrigued me. I am so glad I picked it up! This was an entertaining history of New York City life from the late 1800’s through 1979, the time the book was published. The author did quite a bit of research as well as interviews with residents and staff, resulting in a fascinating look at this New York icon and its residents. The builder was Edward Clark, partner of Isaac Singer, of the Singer sewing machine fame. It began as a luxury apartment building, with service beyond any that can be imagined today. It received its name because it was so far west, it may as well have been in the Dakota Territory.

Over the years, the Dakota has been home to many notables, celebrities and elitists. Yet I found the most interesting person of all was someone I had never heard of before, Mihajlo (Michael) Pupin. Dr. Pupin was born in a small rural village in what is now Serbia. At 16, he came to the U.S. with 5 cents and a dream. He worked, went to college and became a physicist and mathematician, a pioneer and inventor, an educator and philanthropist. I found the books excerpts from an interview with him absolutely fascinating and had to research him further. That is an amazing tale on its own.

An interesting side note, reading this not quite 40-year old book showcased the changes in our society in the last 40 years. Yes, we still have elitists and snobs and we always will,, but we have advanced a long way in 40 years. This was a very interesting read.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com

[Sallie S. Burk · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much more than the history of a building. An amazing social history of west side Manhattan.

History as entertaining as any fiction could be. The slight disorganization is entirely forgiveable because Steven Birmingham's writing is brilliant. He leads us on an exploration of New York culture over a hundred year span. The book is a detailed history of the architecture and development of the building, but also an intimate look at the residents over time.

[La La · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up until about seventy percent I would have given this five stars, but his going back and forth in time became too frequent, and got a bit confusing, in the last thirty percent. I also felt the photos would have had more impact distributed throughout the text and not all piled up at the end. There were only a handful of photographs and triple the amount would have been better. I was disappointed there were no interior shots.

This book was full of quirky esoteric history about The Dakota and its inhabitants over the years, and also New York City as a whole. The history and timeline for Central Park was fascinating.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about the Dakota, the apartment building where John Lennon was killed in 1980. The book was originally published in 1979 and the version I read had no update, although there is a newer version published in 2015 that I would guess has an update. I didnt realize that it was written before Lennon's death until I was reading it as if he was still alive and then looked at the publishing date. This book is at its best when it is talking about the inhabitants of the building. It kind of lost me when it was talking about its architecture. It doesnt get to in depth on the inhabitants because privacy was valued by the inhabitants of the building. This is an interesting book if you are interested in New York buildings.

[Whitney Nelson-Wharton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly interesting, but after the historical parts, it read mostly like a poorly-written gossip column.

[Dee Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible 9 hours 15 min. Narrated by LJ Ganzer(A)

This is an interesting look at the history of a 9 story apartment style building located across from Central Park in New York City, some of its more notable residents. On a wider scope ,it is a history of the city itself and a social commentary from 1885 through 1979. I'm not sure why this story attracted my attention, but it was definitely the narrator who kept my attention.

[Dianeparente62gmail.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so relieved to see the conclusion of this book was brought closer by some pictures and an ample index because for me this book was a long day's journey into tonight's finally final page of text. In the beginning it was an interesting glimpse of late 19th century and early 20th century New York. Likewise, the contentious relationship between the Dakota's builder Mr. Clark and his exasperating business partner Mr Singer of sewing machine renown was an interesting backdrop. Also informative was the ongoing discussion of New York's East Siders and West Siders, among whom the Dakota residents present verification of said differences.

The author's descriptions of the size and lavish, unique decoration of various Dakota apartments over the years gave substance and texture to his tale. Where the book disappointed me most was the author's failure to bring most of his cast of characters to life. Even familiar Dakota residents like Lauren Bacall and John Lennon don't come to life in this history.

It is as if the detailed telling of the history and ongoing struggles of the apartment building itself was the author's primary purpose with his attempts to people his building with real life people not really successfully accomplished. Often he would string together a series of anecdotes not fully illustrative of his narrative.

Other problems included repetition of certain stories, the tendency to stereotype different groups of tenants, and, in the e-book version several confusing proofreading failures.

Though many readers may enjoy this historical focus on a famous building and the city it inhabited, this reader could hardly. wait to escape the oppressive walls and look elsewhere for fresh literary air.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of the book is about the history of New York City. The Dakota was built by Mr. Clark, who was in business with Mr. Singer, the inventor of the Singer Sewing Machine. The author wrote about the lives of these two men.

The Dakota was built in the wrong side of New York City, and across the street, from what was to become the huge Central Park in the city. It was an unusual styled building, and appeal to people, who weren't in the upper crust. The rents were much cheaper, than other accommodations. The occupants of the Dakota were generally wealthy, but not part of the social elite of the city. Over time, many people in show business found homes in the Dakota. In the early days, the servants lived in small rooms on the eighth and ninth floors.

I found the book of interest, but I only read one or two chapters at a time. It wasn't something I wanted to read in one sitting.

[Mary Kay Bidlack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of interesting in the beginning when it told of the beginning of the Dakota and what New York City was like at that time, but after a while it got rather tedious and boring. I really didn't want to know that much, I guess. I began to question some of the facts. When I read that Columbia University approached Dwight Eisenhower to become the university's president by mistake when they really meant the invitation to go to Dwight's brother Milton, I knew I couldn't trust what Birmingham was saying.

[Dayna Keiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun factual account of the building and its inhabitants.

[Margaret Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

gossipy story of one of nyc most famous addresses. typical birmingham. published in 1979. curious about the last 37 years.

[Amanda up North · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading about late 1800's New York City geography and society, the design and history of Central Park and other landmarks, as well as the Dakota building's grand beginnings. Oh, the Dakota building!
One of the formats in which my brain processes information is blueprints/floorplans (another is song lyrics, but that's another story). Reading my way through the planning, construction, and architectural details of the Dakota was fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book for all of the above - the history and architecture.

Later it lost steam for me as it became more about the finances of the Dakota, the woes of becoming a co-op, Old Guard vs. New. It grew pretty boring. Mainly, there are tons of names, and I have no idea who many of them are. Which leads me to point out that Life at the Dakota was published in 1979. It's definitely dated, becoming particularly focused on buying and selling prices and operating costs during the 60's and 70's (not even in the distant realm of current values), and goings on of that time.
Dated, but at the same time, this made the book particularly fascinating. It was written a year before the dark mark that was John Lennon's murder occurred on the Dakota's doorstep, perhaps what the Dakota has since been most known for. At the time this was written, the Lennons were living quietly at the Dakota and they aren't even given much particular attention in this book.
That perspective makes it all the more nostalgic and unique, like a time capsule.

Known as one of Manhattan's most mysterious and exclusive residences, I've read elsewhere that the Dakota has continued to be (or become even more) notoriously difficult to get into, with the board turning down residency to several big names. I'd love to read about what has happened in the 40 some years since this book, how architecture, society, and life at the Dakota and in NYC have continued to change and, maybe, stay somewhat the same.

3.5 stars.

"We didn't move up here because it was fashionable because, goodness me, it wasn't fashionable. It was too special. Fashionable to me implies conformity, and the Dakota didn't conform to anything in the city at the time. Some people want to be in fashion. Some people don't care. We really didn't care." (Miss Cordelia Deal, p. 228)

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and Informative!

I found Life At The Dakota to be a well-researched and well-written book on the history of The Dakota from its inception through the time period just before its publication in 1979. Birmingham, who was an excellent writer in his day, made me feel I was ‘right there’ with all those responsible for The Dakota’s creation as well as with many of the famous tenants who lived there — tenants like Boris Karloff, Lauren Bacall, Rex Reed, Leonard Bernstein, Roberta Flack. Rex Reed, and, of course, John Lennon.

All in all, if you have some interest in The Dakota and its history, Life At The Dakota is a worthwhile read. Its major limitation is not the fault of the author but of the passage of time itself. That is, 43 years have passed since the book’s publication, thus leaving that many years of recent history and interesting stories about its tenants not known about to fans of this book. Another limitation from my perspective is that the book didn’t include any pictures or interior diagrams depicting the unusual size and layout of its apartments or of the unusual features within the building itself to give readers a better understanding of why The Dakota is still to this day considered by many to be New York’s most unusual residence.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I AGREE with other people rating this book. I also didn't realize that it had been written so long ago as I bought it from an Amazon recommendation. I found this book to be a tedious read and it took me several days to read it due to that fact ( and because it caused me to fall asleep reading it). The beginning was very interesting as to the reason it came about and the history of the Clark's and Singer. It was way too detailed about the people, who really cares that they liked different wallpaper and paint?

I kept waiting for it to get better, but it never did. I actually couldn't wait for it to be over.
If you want the history of the Clark's you won't get too much background, other than most of their money came thru their relationship with Singer and the vast amounts of money he made with his sewing machine.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this book from Kindle because of my interest in learning about the iconic Dakota building. The chapters dealing with the planning and construction of The Dakota were fascinating. I had no idea that Issac Singer of the Singer Sewing Company was a founding partner.

I also learned that the naming of The Dakota was a result of people believing that the building was so far out of downtown New York that it might as well be in the Dakota Territory. While no expense was spared in construction of the building it’s unusual design became part of its eccentric charm.

Even though the book was published in 1979 (before the death of Dakota resident John Lennon) it provided an interesting look at the building and its famous residents. Less interesting aspects of the book were several chapters that dealt with organization of the building as a cooperative and its governing structure.

[P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not a huge fan of non-fiction. I picked this up on BookBub because I have a couple of novels set at the Dakota and I thought it might be interesting to learn a little about the famous NYC apartment building. It does have an interesting history and it certainly has housed some fascinating folks over the years, but this is not a particularly well written book. Published in 1979, it adheres to a straight up reporting style, with moments of gossipy storytelling. I wanted more of that.

That said, I’ve seen the fabled iron-gated, arched entrance of the Dakota and have long wondered what the interior would look like. This book provided that information and Google provided some colorful pictures. But I’d still love to see it for myself.

[Susan Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1979, one year before John Lennon's murder, so the book is written as if he is still alive. Not because of this, but due to the fact that I wanted to know more of how the Dakota is faring today, I wish that the book had been written later. Otherwise, it is engrossing to those who like narrative history. The first time I saw the Dakota was the outside shot in Rosemary's Baby and it has always captured my imagination since then. I loved the details about the physical construction of the building and the glimpse into the apartments (through description only - no pictures of inside apartments).

[Anne Monteith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Somewhat dated but still an interesting non-fiction about one of the oldest apartment buildings in NYC. Though it never achieved the panache that addresses on the West side has, from its inception the Dakota has had a loyal following.

Despite losing money from the first day of operation (which would have horrified the original owner of he had lived to see it), the complex has managed to remain one of the most popular residences is the city.

It was interesting reading how the tenants and apartments had changed from the late 19th century to the late 20th century.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took four years to build from `1880-1884, it was, and still is a monument to New York City's image of love and care of older structures. It continues to be the home of many famous people. Most people heard of this building because John Lennon, and Yoko Ono lived there, and John was shot at the front of the building.

It was interesting to learn of the building, but I thought the book tended to drag for too many pages.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was excellent! It gave a pretty good detailed history of New York City in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as how the Dakota building came to be, the men involved and the history of that building moving forward. The second half of the book was incredibly detailed information about tenants, mysterious and difficult situations and pieces of letters and Diaries from the tenants. The second part it wasn't my favorite... But that's just me. I would absolutely recommend the first 80 pages of the book!