The Dakota’s architectural legacy
Nestled at 72nd Street and Central Park West, the Dakota stands as New York City’s oldest luxury apartment building. Built in the 1880s in the German Renaissance style, its grandeur once accommodated the city’s elite and their staff. Servant quarters, less desirable spaces crammed into the gables, required scaling six or more flights of stairs. Yet, these rooms held unrecognized potential.
Ward Bennett’s visionary renovation
In the 1960s, artist and furniture designer Ward Bennett identified this potential and purchased several of these neglected maid’s quarters. He transformed them into a duplex apartment and studio. Bennett, renowned for his minimalist aesthetic, cleverly integrated unlikely elements—such as ungainly mechanical gable protrusions—into his design by concealing them with artistic decor.
A unique flagpole, which dissected the space up to the roof, became a functional support for a circular tabletop. Continuously evolving until the 1980s, the apartment featured pieces from Bennett’s own furniture line alongside unique artifacts collected from his global travels.
A coveted New York oasis
Bennett’s redesign included access to a rare city treasure: a rooftop terrace with sweeping views of Central Park. For New Yorkers, this outdoor space is a highly coveted luxury. Though Bennett passed away in 2003 at age 85, the story of his creative transformation still echoes through the halls of the Dakota. The apartment’s current ownership remains a mystery.
Sources & Links
Source: core77.com
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