The story of urban development and the buildings--for whatever
reasons--that wouldn't be moved.
A "hold-out" is a building that got in the way of another building. They
appear whenever urban densities make land valuable and wherever a profit
motive exists to trigger change. Holdouts are often thought of as David
versus Goliath battles, but is David the little homeowner who doesn't
want to abandon his hearth to the big heartless developer? Or is David
the harried builder who has invested huge sums of money in buying up
ninety percent of the land needed for development--whose benefits would
be enjoyed by thousands of citizens--but whose plans are thwarted by the
one landowner who controls the critical land parcel without which the
project is doomed?
What motivates a holdout? What are the problems when a holdout gets in
the way? What impacts do holdouts have on how new buildings are planned
and designed? What happens when a new structure has to be constructed
next to, around, or even above an existing one that can't be removed?
How have holdouts been dealt with over the years?
Holdouts! depicts with vivid clarity the colorful personalities and
outrageous actions that emerge in these stark confrontations. It
describes epic battles that have been fought to erect buildings in New
York. More than 200 illustrations and photographs show the holdouts
before, during, and after the construction they delayed. This unique
pictorial history will delight architecture buffs, New Yorkers, urban
historians, indeed anyone interested in the sometimes hectic, sometimes
pathetic, and sometimes hilarious struggles of individuals against real
estate developers whose projects are so essential, the authors argue, to
the continuing economic viability of our large cities.
