You've seen it in my pics of Central Park. You can't miss it, 432 Park Ave is an 85 story skinny building that sticks like a sore pinky in any Central Park pics. (Others may say middle finger, but I actually do like these buildings because they are different). People call it "matchstick". Then there is One57, a 75 story condo building known as the "billionaire builing". Another one, at 117 57th, is going up next to it, destined to be even taller. But shorter than Central Park Tower going up at 217 57th. At 1775 feet, it'll be a foot shorter than the WTC Tower when completed in 2019. These buildings line 57th Street, also known as the Billionaire's Row, looking down at Central Park.
Russian oligarchs and Chinese tycoons have been pouring their corrupt money into them. NYC doesn't care. Money not only talks in this town, it sings and dances too. Neil Diamond, eat your heart out.
While at it, I might as well check out the Billionaire's Lair at 740 Park Ave. It is the building inhabited by the likes of Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, the guardian angel of carried interest tax code, and John Thain of Merryl Lynch, one of the banks that brought us the 2008 meltdown. And Davit Koch of the infamous Koch brothers. Apparently he never tips, according to the documentary on the rich and the poor of Park Ave. No one ever got rich by tipping generously, Scrooge might have said. Most of these folks have the whole floor for themselves with 20 or 30 rooms. It's not much of a building really, if you ask me. It doesn't even have a decent view. I certainly wouldn't plunk down $30m for one of the lairs. I'm guessing the birds of a feather just want to be together.
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