Perry West Apartment Buildings, New York City, by Richard Meier & Partners, Architects
For a town that many tourists visit just for the buildings, New York City sure has a lot of crappy apartment blocks. The recent residential building boom has pocked the streetscape with big, bland, poorly detailed boxes. Richard Meier's Perry West represents the sort of residential architecture New York City should have. Its two towers are unconventional, unprivate (with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides) and unfinished — the apartments were sold, at about $2000 per square ft. without any finishes or fixtures. This is dangerous, test-your-mettle stuff for homebuyers. The pioneers who signed up (including Calvin Klein and Nicole Kidman) are rewarded with panoramic views and oceans of light and the city is rewarded with two shimmering showoffs gracing the riverfront.