Built in the late 1880s, the Dakota was one of the first luxury apartment buildings in New York, and it remains among the city’s most desirable—and iconic—addresses. In the new book The Dakota: A History of the World’s Best-Known Apartment Building (Princeton Architectural Press, $55), architectural historian Andrew Alpern explores the past of the grand structure, offering rare photographs, close-ups of its intricate ornamentation, and even composite floor plans for all ten stories. The book also gives a peek into the apartments of some of its most famous residents over the years—though it skips “the juicy tales and tabloid gossip,” keeping the focus on the Dakota’s influence on the housing culture and landscape of New York City.