John Freeman Gill | Author | Journalist


	*“EDIFICE COMPLEX,” AVENUE* MAGAZINE COLUMN** “Edifice Complex” Avenue Magazine, monthly columns from 2015 to 2017 Diane Arbus Slept Here September 2015. If you know where to look, Greenwich Village is full of rabbit holes, portals to worlds of splendid peculiarity hidden from the street. Ghosts of Grand Street December 2015. Revealed by the removal of 18 layers of paint, a SoHo ghost sign evokes the tumultuous past of Grand Street Hall. Time Tables June 2016. A century and a half of dining in and around New York's storied railroad stations. Terminal Conditions September 2016. Fashionable New Yorkers once flocked to St. John's Park ... until Commodore Vanderbilt clear-cut it for a rail terminal. Where Nixon Mingled With Monet October 2016. Elmer H. Bobst's Sutton Place South apartment was enlivened by presidential visits, rare artworks and even a jewel heist. The House That Beer Built May 2015. Rediscovering remnants of the groundbreaking Fifth Avenue mansion built by Col. Jacob Ruppert, beer baron and owner of The New York Yankees. Where Vanderbilts Traded Horses October 2015. Van Tassell & Kearney, an elegant Beaux Arts auction barn on East 13th Street. It's Quiet Uptown November 2016. The $4 million tranquility of Harlem's historic Astor Row. Audubon's Final Nesting Place May 2016. Efforts to expand a historic district named for John James Audubon recall the saga of the house where the painter once lived. Shining Up the Silver Dollar December 2016. A long-shuttered landmark in Hamilton Heights enjoys a Harlem renaissance as a stylish new condo. The Aristocrat of Central Park West April 2016. From Eddie Cantor to Demi Moore, living the high life in the $75 million penthouse triplex of the San Remo's south tower. Townhouse of Many Faces February 2016. The home of aviation pioneer Sherman Fairchild has had many radically different façades in its lifetime. Broadway Rising March 2016. The sale of air rights from Mathew Brady's studio building brings another high-rise to TriBeCa's eastern boundary. Flight of the Gargoyles March 2017. How terra-cotta gargoyles severed from the Woolworth Building's crown 35 years ago inspired an acclaimed new novel. Trophy Mansion February 2017. The Dommerich mansion on "Banker's Colony" has come to market for a cool $72 million. back to top NEW YORK: CITYSCAPES Ghosts of New York The Atlantic Monthly, June 2010 Through a Glass Brightly The New York Times, May 14, 2006 Secret City in the Clouds The New York Times, December 5, 2004 Chateau in the Sky The New York Times, December 3, 2006 The Charming Gadfly Who Saved the High Line The New York Times, May 13, 2007 A Puzzle Tucked Amid the Brownstones The New York Times, December 26, 2004 Look! Down on the Ground! The New York Times, April 23, 2006 History, With a Private Entrance The New York Times, March 19, 2006. General Sherman Watches the Plaza Hotel Go Condo. Decrepit Water Main Could Blow Anytime Right Under Fifth The New York Observer, May 27, 2001 Cheek by Jowl The New York Times, July 10, 2005 An Institution Departs With a Shrug, Not a Sigh The New York Times, April 2, 2006. The Hispanic Society plans to flee its classical home on Audubon Terrace. Garden City The New York Times, June 25, 2006 At Columbia's Grade School, a Blot on a Bold Experiment The New York Times, February 6, 2005 back to top CITY SECTION COVER STORIES Cold Shoulders July 27, 2008. Bill Clinton's Rocky Relationship With Harlem. The Blue-Collar Thoroughbred November 18, 2007 Murder, They Wrote February 11, 2007. Dick Wolf & Co. tell how they brought the murder of actress Adrienne Shelly to Law & Order. The Great Escape January 15, 2006. A slick real estate auction, a trusting Pakistani immigrant longing to escape the city, and a troubled pursuit of the American Dream. Chateau in the Sky December 3, 2006. For a mere $70 million, the penthouse triplex of the Hotel Pierre, once a grand restaurant frequented by Gershwin, can be your home. In Noah's Room September 17, 2006 Through a Glass Brightly May 14, 2006 Secret City in the Clouds December 5, 2004 Marking Time, Making Do April 1, 2007 Cheek by Jowl July 10, 2005 Goodbye to all That April 3, 2005 History, With a Private Entrance March 19, 2006. General Sherman Watches the Plaza Hotel Go Condo. An Institution Departs With a Shrug, Not a Sigh April 2, 2006. The Hispanic Society plans to flee its classical home on Audubon Terrace. Paint It White July 30, 2006 In a Town of 'Friends,' an Amen Corner October 23, 2005 Don't Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters July 9, 2006 back to top NEW YORK: CHARACTERS Adele Mailer: The Woman in the Shadow The New York Times, November 18, 2007 Seventh-Inning Kvetch The New York Times, October 24, 2004 Bees on Board The New York Times, May 28, 2006 The Blue-Collar Thoroughbred The New York Times, November 18, 2007 The Amazin' Mr. Met Suits Up Again The New York Times, May 20, 2001 The Charming Gadfly Who Saved the High Line The New York Times, May 13, 2007 Bells Clanging, a Tradesman Comes Home The New York Times, January 8, 2006 A Tweed Suit for the Bearded Lady The New York Times, February 20, 2005 Finding the Verse in Adversity The New York Times, April 17, 2005 The Great Escape The New York Times, January 15, 2006 Marking Time, Making Do The New York Times, April 1, 2007 For Christmas, Some Really Fat Geese The New York Times, December 25, 2005 Neptune's Daughters and the Ultimate Job Tryout The New York Times, December 12, 2004 For a Big Dreamer, a Little Tokyo The New York Times, February 5, 2006 Ray Lopez vs. The Critters of the Night The New York Times, October 1, 2006 back to top NEW YORK: ARTS / CULTURE Ghosts of New York The Atlantic Monthly, June 2010 Urban History to Go: Black, No Sugar The New York Times, June 26, 2005 Giverny It's Not The New York Times, December 4, 2005 The Old Masters Detective Agency The New York Times, June 12, 2005 How My Mother Saved New York The New York Times, February 6, 2005 Bookshelves of the Vanities The Washington Monthly, June 1991 Finding the Verse in Adversity The New York Times, April 17, 2005 A Tweed Suit for the Bearded Lady The New York Times, February 20, 2005 Stars and Yipes The New York Times, October 10, 2004 His Isle of Joy The New York Times, October 2, 2005 An Institution Departs With a Shrug, Not a Sigh April 2, 2006. The Hispanic Society plans to flee its classical home on Audubon Terrace. The Lady Who Sings the Blues The New York Times, October 16, 2005 back to top NEIGHBORHOODS/REAL ESTATE LIVING IN TRIBECA May 6, 2011. Land of the $800 Stroller LIVING IN CARNEGIE HILL December 16, 2011. Land of Good Bones and Deep Pockets LIVING IN THE FLATIRON DISTRICT March 29, 2012. Profile, Always High, Keeps Current Too LIVING IN LINCOLN SQUARE July 12, 2012. An Arts Incubator, Retuned for Extra Livability LIVING AROUND MADISON SQUARE PARK May 11, 2012. A Square Comes Full Circle LIVING IN HELL'S KITCHEN NORTH September 23, 2011. With All Its Contrasts, It Needed an Alias LIVING IN EAST HARLEM November 16, 2012. More Small Dogs and Big Home Prices LIVING IN SOHO November 3, 2011. Wealth, Beauty and Their Many Lovers LIVING IN AUDUBON PARK June 24, 2011. Naturalist Perched Here LIVING IN JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS February 4, 2011. A Migrants' Enclave Attracts a New Breed LIVING IN COBBLE HILL, BROOKLYN October 5, 2012. Land of the Multi-No-Longer Family House LIVING IN COLUMBIA STREET WATERFRONT DISTRICT, BROOKLYN March 19, 2013. Between the Drink and the B.Q.E. back to top
All of the contents of this web site are © 2019 by John Gill and/or the original publishers of these articles. Unauthorized use of any part of this site without the written consent of the owner is strictly forbidden.