NYC Architect Cary Tamarkin Reflects on a Lifetime of Buildings

This 11-story condominium at 495 West Street introduced many of the features that defined Tamarkin's work in New York City.

Credit: Tamarkin Co.

Cary Tamarkin designed some of New York City's most distinctive new structures. But if you’re not careful, you might miss them.

Anthony Paletta

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Developers sometimes commission great architects — but not usually. Aesthetic quality just usually isn't their first aim, unless that developer happens to be an architect, and the person they’re hiring is, well, themselves.

Architect-developers are a somewhat rare breed; well-known examples include John Portman, famed for his signature atrium hotels, and Charles Luckman, who designed Madison Square Garden and Boston's Prudential Tower. Another example is Cary Tamarkin, the 65-year-old architect responsible for a number of unusual and very good buildings in New York City.