House of Outrageous Fortune

House of Outrageous Fortune: Fifteen Central Park West, the World's Most Powerful Address is a non-fiction book by American writer Michael Gross.[1] The book was initially published on March 11, 2014 by Atria Books.[2]

House of Outrageous Fortune: Fifteen Central Park West, the World's Most Powerful Address
Hardcover edition
AuthorMichael Gross
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject15 Central Park West
GenreNon-fiction
Set inNew York City
PublisherAtria Books
Publication date
March 11, 2014
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages416
ISBN978-1451666199 (hardcover edition)
OCLC842316540
WebsiteOfficial website

Background

The book is dedicated to 15 Central Park West, a luxury condominium apartment building located at the corner of West 61st Street and Central Park West in New York City. Construction started in 2005 and was completed in 2008, costing a total of $950 million ($1,100,000,000 in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation). The two-tower building, known as "Limestone Jesus"[3], was designed in a New Classical style by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and developed by Arthur and William Zeckendorfs.[4][5] The boldface residents include Denzel Washington, Sting, Bob Costas, Norman Lear, Wall Street moguls, top executives, and Russian and Chinese oligarchs.[6]

Gross offers a detailed research on the billion-dollar development and on the mindset and lifestyle of its residents, the today's rich and famous. The book also explores the history of real estate development on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and Columbus Circle area, and the Zeckendorf family. In an interview to The Real Deal, Gross stated that "15 CPW is very different than what Tom Wolfe called “the good buildings.” It redefines “good building.” It is a condo, not pre-war, on the West Side. And, of course, the other difference is how much [the units] sell for."[7]

Reception

Roberta Bernstein of USA TODAY stated "With a tsunami of colorful details, Gross traces the evolution of Manhattan's Upper West Side, the histories of the real estate families that saw (or gambled on) its development, the foreign shipping magnates whose heirs helped it to happen, and the circumstances and people who made über-luxury condos desirable."[8] A reviewer of Publishers Weekly added "The book is at its best when describing how architect Robert Arthur Morton Stern exercised every creative instinct to maximize profit and stay within New York’s complex zoning requirements, but most of the text is a complex rundown of the buyers: who they are, where their money comes from, and why they bought."[9] A reviewer of Kirkus Reviews commented "An incisive but somewhat tedious report of New York’s "new money."[10]

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References
  1. Zeveloff, Julie (March 25, 2014). "15 Outrageous Facts About 15 Central Park West, The World's Most Powerful Address". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. "House of Outrageous Fortune". Simon & Schuster. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  3. "Boom with a view". The Economist. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  4. "15 Central Park West: Classicists' Lucky Day". Curbed. October 11, 2005. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. Pomorski, Chris (31 December 2014). "'House of Outrageous Fortune' Author Buys Home of More Modest Fortune at UN Plaza". The New York Observer. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. Dailey, Jessica (4 October 2013). "New Book House of Outrageous Fortune Reveals 15CPW". Curbed. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  7. Voien, Guelda (March 1, 2014). "Q&A: Author Michael Gross dishes on 15 CPW". The Real Deal. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. Bernstein, Roberta (March 16, 2014). "A riveting look at the blood sport of Manhattan real estate". USA TODAY. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  9. "House of Outrageous Fortune: Fifteen Central Park West, the World's Most Powerful Address". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  10. "HOUSE OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE by Michael Gross | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
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