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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Of all Manhattan's fabled East Side dwellings of the super-rich, 740 Park Avenue has perhaps the best pedigree. Designed by Rosario Candela and developed by James T. Lee, Jackie O's maternal grandfather, as a cooperative haven for the elite, it had the misfortune to open just as the stock market crashed in 1930 and was forced to operate partly as a rental for some decades. The last sale was to Lee himself, for son-in-law "Black Jack" Bouvier, his wife and daughters Jackie and Lee. John D. Rockefeller Jr. signed a rental lease in 1936 for a massive apartment (more than 20,000 square feet), and Marshall Field III took another. Gross (Model) has solidly researched the denizens of the building, who they were, what they did, and who and how many times they married. This information, while exhaustive, is also exhausting. Things perk up as we approach the modern era, and the old rich give way to a newer cast of sometimes dubious billionaires. Ron Perelman, Henry Kravis, Steve Ross and Steve Schwartzman are cited among the newer tenants. A bit of a bore for average readers, this will be a useful tome for those interested in New York's social history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
“In 740 Park, Michael Gross penetrates the bewitching and private worlds of the privileged and very rich denizens of 740 Park Avenue on New York’s Upper East Side. Gross, a born storyteller, delights in his tales of upstairs and downstairs over the decades in the grand building. This is social history at its best.” —Dominick Dunne
“740 Park is a concrete capsule of American capitalism as seen through the fates, fortunes, and foibles of its inhabitants. This biography of New York’s most magisterial building is an immensely entertaining, dishy, and ultimately serious book.”
—Jane Stanton Hitchcock
“The Lolita of shelter porn . . . 740 Park delves into the rarified world of one of the city’s most exclusive co-ops, where billionaires like Ronald Lauder, Steve Schwarzman, and David Koch rest their heads.” —Michael Calderone, New York Observer
“740 Park is a historical building that is worthy of the comprehensive and fascinating coverage that Michael Gross has devoted to it. This book is as entertaining as it is informative—it’s a terrific story.” —Donald Trump
"Jaw-dropping apartment porn."
–Fortune
"Gobs of real-estate porn."
—The New York Times Book Review
"[A] great read... gossipy... revealing,"
—People
"As rich as his subjects."
—Forbes FYI
“Life after folly-filled life flashes forward like Park Avenue canopies viewed from a speeding town car.”
—New York Times
"Finally! A look inside the golden tabernacle of high society."
—Kitty Kelley
“740 Park is a concrete capsule of American capitalism as seen through the fates, fortunes, and foibles of its inhabitants. This biography of New York’s most magisterial building is an immensely entertaining, dishy, and ultimately serious book.”
—Jane Stanton Hitchcock
“The Lolita of shelter porn . . . 740 Park delves into the rarified world of one of the city’s most exclusive co-ops, where billionaires like Ronald Lauder, Steve Schwarzman, and David Koch rest their heads.” —Michael Calderone, New York Observer
“740 Park is a historical building that is worthy of the comprehensive and fascinating coverage that Michael Gross has devoted to it. This book is as entertaining as it is informative—it’s a terrific story.” —Donald Trump
"Jaw-dropping apartment porn."
–Fortune
"Gobs of real-estate porn."
—The New York Times Book Review
"[A] great read... gossipy... revealing,"
—People
"As rich as his subjects."
—Forbes FYI
“Life after folly-filled life flashes forward like Park Avenue canopies viewed from a speeding town car.”
—New York Times
"Finally! A look inside the golden tabernacle of high society."
—Kitty Kelley
Inside This Book
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
740 Stars for this one,
By Henry B. (Essex Junction, VT) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building (Hardcover)
I love any and every story about New York, from the movie "Midnight Cowboy" to the new and shocking "Katzenjammer" novel by Jackson McCrae. But 740 Park really got to me. Well-researched, this riveting book provides a look into the lives (not so private at times) of some of the most public of all Manhattanites. A "rich" (sorry) chronicle of some of the most influential people in the world (all living under one big roof), 740 Park will definitely keep your attention. Five big stars for the ones who live at this address . . . and for the author.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars (59 customer reviews) 103 of 111 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Yawn...,
By DLP - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building (Hardcover)
Don't be fooled by the exciting sounding "apartment porn" review by Forbes -- this is one tedious book. While there were some very interesting sections (on the building's architect Candela, a brief history of cooperative apartments in NYC, and John D. Rockefeller), they were few and far between. The majority of the text is dull and repetitive. The author was able to get dirt on a number of current and former residents of 740 Park, but he could not get his hands on a floor plan or any decent photos of these luxurious apartments? All in all, quite a disappointing read.
91 of 101 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
No Photos and Plodding Writing,
By Jery Tillotson "author" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building (Hardcover)
When I read a book like this one, that describes the history of a building or how the rich are very different from you and I, I want photos to help fill out the story. This book contains two mediocre pictures of two different rooms in the fabled structure on Madison where only the super rich can reside. I pass by this building every day and was naturally curious to see what all the shouting was about. To me, it looks like hundreds of other bland, brick structures that line Park and Fifth Avenue. Perhaps that's the first tip-off that the ultra-rich want to live quietly behind barricades of stone and marble. I wish there were pictures of the some of the residents and the interiors. Word descriptions can only go so far.
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
hmmm,
By Sennie "CK" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building (Hardcover)
Well, the author definitely spent a lot of time researching this book. That is obvious. I really thought this would be another Bonfire of the Vanities type of book about the rick and famous and their habits, lifestyle etc. I am half way through the bookand I've had enough. There are about 5 paragraphs about each tenant that ever lived in 740 Park.This book is almost like a school textbook with a little history of this and that person except this book is about an apartment building. Not enough information on each tenant for me to develop an interest in the subject, just enough information on who lived in which apartment during which years.The book started off well enough but after awhile, I lost complete interest in the history of each unit and who lived there, etc. I actually can not remember half the people who subleased, leased or bought the apartments after awhile. Great attempt. The writer, as I mentioned, definitely did a through research on the history of this building and is obviously a gifted writer. However, a short and brief background information on each tenant failed to draw me in. I would recommend this book to anyone who is doing research in real estate in NY, but would not recommend this book for just reading for enjoyment. |
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