The Dakota: A History of the World's Best-Known Apartment Building

I'd seen this building before I knew anything about it. I cannot get enough of it now. What The Dakota was when it was built; what the times were like in the 1880s in New York; how the building changed with the times; even about its name. There are 10 pages with floor plans for each floor and they are fascinating, The book says they are approximate floor plans and over the years they have changed. I Googled and found a webpage where current or recent floor plans of the apartments are shown with their sales listings and I can loose myself in comparing the plans and, if there are photos, seeing how the original wood trim and fireplaces have been maintained or replaced. The appendix has reproductions of news stories and magazine articles and one shows how an apartment was built/remodeled in the past decades in one of the attics, where servants rooms used to be.This was a fun book and I'll go back to it again and again, as I find more listings of apartments for sale online. And I have not bought it yet, but I see a similar book " A Grand Tour of the Dakota Apartments: A Journey Through Time of the Interior & Exterior of New York's Legendary Landmark  that looks like it will add to my discovery of the building. I'll come back to update this, after I get around to following-up on this other book.

Beautiful and highly informative book on my favorite building in all of New York.When I first received the book, I was concerned that it may not have all that much information given it's relatively thin size compared to other volumes I have on certain buildings. I was wrong.The book is expertly written (by an expert of course) and contains nearly all information one could wish for on the Dakota including, but not limited to; plans, historic images spanning the life of the building, and even a register of its first inhabitants.My only qualm with the book is the editing of the images. I feel that a tad too much HDR was used.. to the point that it distracts you from what it is you're looking at in the image. That said, it is a minor detail secondary to the real heft of the book, the information.I strongly recommend this well-bound book to anyone with interest in the great architecture of NYC, the country, and multi-family residential architecture as a whole. The Dakota is perhaps the single greatest apartment building ever constructed and set the gold-standard for future buildings of its type.This volume sits proudly among my favorites in my library.

Very thorough history of the Dakota, including its builder and architect. Loved the inclusion of floor maps (great for daydreaming!). Was glad to read about the Dakota's precursers and typical floor plans. Very well illustrated by vintage photos and diagrams. Alpern is a great writer; I have 2 of his earlier books on NY pre-war apartments and they are very fine too.

If you are a fan of this amazing apartment house, you must read this book filled with incredible, interesting detailsSide Note: In 2014, I had the utmost privilege of attending a cocktail party here held for a charity I sponsored in one of the apartments belonging to a lawyer. I must say I was in awe of the entire experience, one that I will never forget. The main courtyard which I always thought must be quite enormous is actually much smaller and intimate with a beautiful fountain in the center. I even saw Yoko Ono in her office of her ground floor apartment, there was a large picture of John hanging on the wall--I nearly fainted. I will never forget that evening, it's a magical place....

WONDERFUL! This book has it all and even though there are some mistakes on the floor plans - bedroom without a door etc it was still a wonderful collection of each floor as it appears today, or close to today, if you are into floorpans and architecture as I am its a great thing to pour over.

The book was full of info and photos. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the floorplans: what rooms were in which apartment? Darker lines to separate apartments would have been very helpful.

Outstanding, I got it because I wanted it, and I love it more than I thought I would! I can't put it down. It is really so interesting to me, and I normally am not an architecture person.

If you are at all interested in the history of the Dakota you will like this book

In the book’s preface, the author plainly states that, over the years, he had accumulated various material on New York’s most famous apartment building and that he decided to publish it. Well, the result looks like just that: a collage of various elements that range from the developer’s biography to “The Dakota as an Icon” with photos of the building’s reproduction in Legoland, Florida and on a tissue box. Though the information is well organized, there is no clear overall ark, and the feel is almost that of a high-end scrapbook.By far, the contemporary floor plans of each of the ten floors constitute the crux of the work. It is just fascinating to see how much the sprawling apartments differ, no two the same due to changes over time and possibly initial buyers’ requests.Clearly, the book was produced without any authorization from the building’s owners and residents. No visit seems to have been organized and there are no contemporary indoor photos. Indeed, the only interior views are included in decades-old articles reproduced from magazines such as “House and Garden”. The author points out that the floor plans were drawn for the book on the basis of real estate ads and miscellaneous sources, thus not of on-site surveys.Though published in 2015, the book displays a very basic lay-out, unworthy of what can be done nowadays with computers. The cover page (beige, greenish gray and orangish red) is strikingly unappealing.Despite the book’s significant contents, its price generates expectations that are only partially met.

Loved this book! It completely satisfied my curiosity about the Dakota and its mysterious demeanour. Well done to the author.

Uno dei libri più interessanti degli utlimi anni. Assolutamente imperdibile per chi sia interessato alla storia di New York e all'architettura. Ottimo l'apparato iconografico. Un piccolo capolavoro.