834 5th ave
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C Z GUEST
Flip through the "inspiration" file that every designer keeps, and at some point you will find a picture of C.Z. Guest. Debutante, showgirl (briefly), model (painted nude by Diego Rivera), socialite, gardener, intimate of artists and writers; Guest had the kind of life that seems fiction, and the perfect patrician looks to illustrate it. She wore her designer clothes with thoroughbred elegance, keeping to simple lines, rich fabrics, and soft colors to suit her cool complexion. But perhaps what drew creative types to her most was Guest's down-to-earth personality, exemplified by her recent advice to would-be gardeners visiting her web site, "The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and have a good time."
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834 Fifth Avenue is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious apartment houses in New York City. It has been called "the most pedigreed building on the snobbiest street in the country’s most real estate-obsessed city" in an article in the New York Observer newspaper.[1] This status is due to the building's overall architecture, the scale and layout of the apartments, and the notoriety of its current and past residents. It is widely regarded as one of the finest buildings designed by Rosario Candela.
The building was constructed in 1931, and was one of the last luxury apartment houses completed before the Great Depression halted such projects in New York City. Its street facing facades are composed entirely of limestone. Elements of Art Deco styling were utilized on the entry ways and portions of the Fifth Avenue facade. The building uses setbacks at the upper floors to create terraces for several apartments and provide visual interest from a distance.
The building is incorporated as a housing cooperative. Tenants technically own shares in the corporation which owns the building; those shares entitle the owner to occupy a designated unit in the building. Similar to other ultraluxury apartment buildings in New York City, a person who purchases a unit in the building must pay entirely in cash for the apartment. No mortgage financing is allowed. In addition, the cooperative's board is rumored to require potential buyers to possess liquid assets in excess of ten times the value of the purchased unit
[edit]Residents
834 Fifth Avenue has historically been home to a large number of founders and heirs of major American family fortunes. The fortunes include those associated with Standard Oil, Johnson & Johnson, Woolworth Stores, the Hearst Corporation, Ford Motor Co. and the Chase Manhattan Bank. The building has long been associated with the Rockefeller family and its various business and charitable interests.
In addition, 834 Fifth Avenue has welcomed a higher percentage of entrepreneurs and self-made businessmen than its peer buildings. Firms founded by tenants of 834 Fifth include Charles Schwab, TLC Beatrice, the Limited and Fox. This helped establish its reputation as a haven for the high-achieving elite within New York society.
When Charlie Chaplin was in New York City during his contract negotiations with Mutual Film, and found out that his first love, Hetty Kelly, was staying with her sister, Mrs. Frank Jay Gould, at 834 Fifth Avenue, he stalked the place.[1]
Past and current residents include:
Laurance Rockefeller (who owned the building before it became a cooperative, and resided in the penthouse triplex for nearly fifty years)
Rupert Murdoch (founder of the Fox Network, BSkyB)
Loida Nicolas-Lewis (business woman, philanthropist, widow of Reginald Lewis)
Leslie Wexner (founder, The Limited)
John Gutfreund (former chairman of Salomon Brothers) and wife Susan
Damon Mezzacappa (financier, former vice chairman of Lazard Freres)
Elizabeth Arden (founder of the eponymous cosmetics company)
Harold Prince (the Broadway producer)
Carroll Petrie (a philanthropist, widow of the founder of Petrie Stores)
Alfred Taubman (shopping mall developer, former chairman of Sothebys)
John DeLorean (former automotive magnate)
Joan Whitney Payson (an heiress, and philanthropist)
Robert (Woody) Johnson IV (one of the heirs of the Johnson & Johnson fortune, owner of the New York Jets)
Charles R. Schwab (founder and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation)
Frank Jay Gould
Simon Hodges (CFO of Dominion Power, heir and philanthropist)
Thomas Chewning (former CFO of Dominion Power, Financer of U-turn)