Life at the Dakota

New York's Most Unusual Address

By: Stephen Birmingham

Narrated by: LJ Ganser

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

A history of the Manhattan building and its famous tenants, from Lauren Bacall to John Lennon, by the New York Times best-selling author of Our Crowd.

When Singer sewing machine tycoon Edward Clark built a luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in the late 1800s, it was derisively dubbed “the Dakota” for being as far from the center of the downtown action as its namesake territory on the nation’s western frontier. Despite its remote location, the quirky German Renaissance-style castle, with its intricate façade, peculiar interior design, and gargoyle guardians peering down on Central Park, was an immediate hit, particularly among the city’s well-heeled intellectuals and artists.

Over the next century it would become home to an eclectic cast of celebrity residents - including Boris Karloff, Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, singer Roberta Flack (the Dakota’s first African-American resident), and John Lennon and Yoko Ono - who were charmed by its labyrinthine interior and secret passageways, its mysterious past, and its ghosts. Stephen Birmingham, author of the New York society classic Our Crowd, has written an engrossing history of the first hundred years of one of the most storied residential addresses in Manhattan and the legendary lives lived within its walls.

©1979 Stephen Birmingham (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Oh Hum

Expected more about the people that live there instead of so in depth of the building. It tended to be dry and somewhat droning.

Interesting Stories

The stories of the Dakota, its neighbor hood, and it's residents was very interesting to listen too. I love being more knowledgeable about the history of this NYC icon. It was also narrated well. Since it was copy righted in 1979, it would be nice to hear a sequel to catch up on its happenings in the past 40 years.

Fascinating

A well-written, entertaining story of a very unique building and the eccentric, colorful people who lived there over the years. May it remain for many more years.

too old to be relevant

This book was written prior to John Lennon's death & the political details & the "names" are too far removed even for someone who graduated High School in 1971 to find any meaning. The first few chapters about the history of New York City & the building of Central Park & the construction of the Dakota itself were very interesting -- but after that -- I couldn't wait to make it to the END of this book.

Travel back in time with this audiobook

Absolutely loved this book. The stories are so fascinating and detailed. The research this author did is astounding. The writing style is brilliant. I felt like I was right inside the fascinating history of this building and the evolving city of New York. I also loved the narrator. He’s such an entertaining reader I’m going to check out other audiobooks he’s read.

Fascinating Story - Social and Dwelling History

I lived a few blocks from this building in N.Y. and remember the night John Lennon was shot. I walked by this building almost every day and could not even remember what it looked like when I bought this book. An in-depth look into the early history of N.Y. dwellings and viewpoints of the neighborhoods. If you are involved with Real Estate at all this will be a very interesting book for you. If you enjoy stories about real people you will take a lot of pleasure from this book. Master storytelling. No matter what your interests are if you enjoy good stories you will enjoy this book. I will definitely be moving on to read his other books.

Lovely Story

I liked the story and very eloquent by no means boring but I did not like the voices of the male characters they seemed women trying to speak like men. Other than that it is a very nice story.

A Fun Tour

I have been intrigued by the Dakota for decades so anticipated enjoying this journey through time. It was a bit circular a story, the quirky people past and present; the alterations past and present; the power struggles as well. But the narrator kept me engaged.

Dated, but excellent collection of stories

Dated, but loved the story of the building especially of the original ownership. The stories of how the building was run in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were particularly interesting.

Has not stood the test of time

I had not realized when I selected this book to "read" that the publication date was August, 1979. I saw the audible and kindle release dates as being fairly recent and did not realize the original paper book was as old as it was. My 1st tip off to that was the author talking about John Lennon living in the Dakota in the present tense. Lennon died a short 5 months following the release of this book.

Although a great deal of the book is dedicated to the early years of the Dakota, by the time the author reaches the 1960s and beyond his idioms, and cultural stereotypes reflect an uncomfortable former era. Whether my discomfort with that is the result of the narrator's tone of voice, or truly what the author intended to convey might be a point of discussion.

I am finding some of Stephen Birmingham's books to be less effective than others, although his research is always impeccable.