The eye-catching high rises in New York City not only transformed its skyline but tell a fascinating story of New York’s billionaires and most powerful players.
Key Details
- Towering buildings south of Central Park from Park Avenue to Broadway represent billions of dollars in global wealth.
- Billionaires’ Row redesigned the New York City skyline, but these buildings represent more than impressive wealth—they are also the result of a competitive and cut-throat industry.
- With developer-friendly policies and an influx of cash from tech, finance, and foreign powerhouses, Billionaires’ Row quickly sprouted along what was once a run-down section of the city.
- In her book, Billionaires’ Row: Tycoons, High Rollers, And the Race To Build the World’s Most Exclusive Skyscrapers, Katherine Clarke tells how this famous street came to be.
Why it’s important
Billionaires’ Row now stands as a symbol of incredible wealth, but that area of New York City was not always so impressive. Before new policies and seemingly limitless budgets transformed the area, 57th Street was an unimpressive strip of Midtown.
Clarke tells the story of the “race to the sky” as developers struggled against one another for the right to build these testaments to wealth. Trump-era veterans fought against young developers just getting their start in New York City. In a ruthless battle to build, these power players used every tool at their disposal to build their empires.
With her special access to some of the most powerful real estate players, Clarke gives readers an inside look at one of the most ruthless industries. By combining ambitions and salesmanship, these developers created an exclusive market of $100 million apartments—just for the richest of the rich.
Using her access to what went on behind the scenes, Clarke gives readers a look at how the extremely wealthy make their deals while also showing readers the genius, greed, and financial know-how that created one of the most expensive sections of real estate in the world.
Clarke is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, where she covers high-end real estate in the U.S.
Billionaires’ Row was published by Currency on June 13, 2023.
