Posh Portals: Discover the Extraordinary Entrances of NYC

New York City is home to some of the most lavish examples of luxury apartment buildings anywhere in the world, many of which date back close to a century. Luxury apartment living was invented in New York City in 1884 with the Dakota, and the early part of the 20th century saw a wave of superb apartment buildings being built in the city. Each of these remarkable residences has an entrance that, as architectural historian Andrew Alpern writes in the introduction to his new book, Posh Portals, “is that important first impression, the opening sentence of the architectural story that sets the mood of the apartment building.”

Watercolor Drawings by Simon Fieldhouse

On Wednesday, October 21st, author Andrew Alpern takes us on a virtual tour of the extraordinary entrances to some of New York City’s finest architectural treasures. Highlights of this event include the entrances to such iconic luxury apartment buildings as the Dakota and the San Remo, as well as lesser-known gems like Brooklyn’s Chateau Frontenac. Alpern will explore the features that give these entrances their distinctive character, share some of their colorful histories, and discuss surprising similarities among some of the entrances he discovered in his research for Posh Portals.

All photographs by Kenneth Grant

This live virtual event on Wednesday, October 21st at 6:00PM EST is organized for Untapped New York Insiders — get two months free with code JOINUS. A video of the talk will also be made available to all our Insiders afterward in the Video Archive section of our website.

BECOME AN INSIDER!

Next, check out 11 Luxury Pre-War Hotels and Apartments of the Upper West Side and How 10 Famous NYC Buildings Got Their Names