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.It would be more fitting to label them apartmenthouses, a term reminiscent of the grandeur and style ofthese early progenitors.It took some time before the newedifices were accepted as equivalent in stature to what camebefore.Certainly, their size and luxury helped make thetransition smoother. Manhattan s Gold Coast | THE UPPER EAST SIDE 225The apartment house 810 Fifth greets you with a grandiron marquee.Like many apartment buildings of the time,it was laid out with just one apartment per floor (it has re-mained such), at an average size of five thousand squarefeet.The aristocratic life was not difficult to come by withfour bedrooms, four servants rooms, living and diningrooms, and library.Those in search of an apartment inNew York City today might gag, however, at the 1913 ask-ing price; the thirteen-room apartments ranged from$72,000 to a whopping $96,000.One would be lucky to geta studio in Manhattan for that amount in 2002 (Manhattan,Kansas, that is).This building has had many noted residents over theyears, but perhaps the best known to New Yorkers was for-mer governor Nelson Rockefeller.In fact, Rockefeller wasso charmed by the building s locale that he lived here withboth his first and second wives.Architectural historian Andrew Alpern tells the story ofhow, in 1963, Richard Nixon purchased the fifth-floorapartment at 810 Fifth Avenue, shortly after Nelson and hissecond wife, Happy, moved into their new apartment.Steadfastly denying that his relocation to New York fromthe West Coast was politically motivated, Nixon averred: I m going to New York for the purpose of practicing lawand not for practicing politics. Five years later, Rocke-feller and Nixon were dueling Republican candidates forthe nomination.During the political battle, they used dif-ferent elevators to get to their respective apartments.Nixonmight have been better off sticking to the law.After Nixon s aborted second term, he decided to moveback to New York, this time just down the way from hisprevious abode.Having lived at 810 in the 1960s, Nixon feltit might be easy to return to his former block.The co-opboard of 817, however, disagreed not because of Nixon spolitics or because he was now out of a steady job, for they 226 THE UPPER EAST SIDE | Manhattan s Gold Coast even claimed they believed him when he said he wasn t acrook! The co-op board rejected him on the grounds thatthey did not want to draw attention to themselves fromthe media and potential protestors.The Secret Servicepresence would also have been rather noisome.To para-phrase Phil Ochs: Richard Nixon, find yourself anotherco-op to be part of. Nixon did well, sort of.Shortly after his rejection, hepurchased a twelve-room townhouse at 142 East Sixty-fifthStreet for $750,000.He sold it in 1982 for $2.6 million.Thetownhouse had three bedrooms, seven baths, a study, twoliving rooms, two kitchens, two fireplaces, a paneled li-brary, and an elevator.His yard backed onto the home ofnoted historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr.When asked abouthis new neighbor, Schlesinger said: He s a very luckyman, living out his days in luxury when he ought to be inthe federal penitentiary. Continue walking to the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue¢'and Sixty-third Street, to 820 Fifth Avenue.This apartment building, like many on the East Side knownsimply by its number, was renowned in the 1920s as the res-idence of Governor Alfred E.Smith.The first Catholic torun for U.S.president, Smith came up short in his raceagainst Herbert Hoover in 1928.Perhaps as a consolationprize, Smith cashed in and became the well-paid head ofthe Empire State Development Corporation (the companythat was soon to build the legendary skyscraper on Thirty-fourth Street).Richard Nixon has company here.Ronald Perelman,owner of Revlon, was turned down by 820 s co-op board.Cross the avenue and walk up to Sixty-fourth Street.¢'Head into Central Park for a moment. Manhattan s Gold Coast | THE UPPER EAST SIDE 227Directly in front of you is the Arsenal (1848 51).It has thedistinction of being one of only two structures in CentralPark that actually predates the park s development.Whenbuilt, it housed the majority of New York State s ammuni-tion during the war with Mexico
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