A Manhattan luxury tower is falling apart, Jamie Dimon is going to the Smithsonian, and who’s photographing the East Wing demolition? From the wild and wooly world of real estate, here are our Hits and Misses for the week of Oct. 20-24.
Miss: Don’t Look Up. One of New York City’s tallest and most exclusive residential skyscrapers appears to in a dreadful and dangerous state of health. The New York Times reported the white concrete façade of 432 Park Ave. has been splitting and fissuring since its construction was completed 10 years ago. And while that’s not pleasant news on its own terms, it could create a significant hazard when you consider the 96-floor building is nearly 1,400 feet tall – and who wants to be hit with a chunk of concrete falling from that height? Some engineers are calling for an immediate renovation that could cost at least $160 million. But that’s only on the building’s exterior – reportedly, the complex has been plagued with elevator problems, power outages and leaks since it opened. Considering that some apartments in that building sell for up to $55 million, residents are clearly not getting their money’s worth.
Hit: Ball Fore. Elsewhere in New York City, Yankee Stadium is temporarily being transformed into a golf driving range. amNY reports the Yankees have partnered with Upper Deck Golf on a two-day event that will provide golfers with the change to hit shots at custom greens on the field from tee boxes located around the 200 and 300 Level Concourses. There will also be a VIP bar, music, and food during this event, which will be held Nov. 7-8 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you’re in the New York City area and fancy the chance to play golf at Yankee Stadium, you can register at upperdeckgolfing.com/yankeestadium.
Hit: Picture Perfect. Another New York City fixture was in the news this week – Jamie Dimon, the colorful and opinionated CEO of JPMorgan Chase, was among the recipients of the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Award presented by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Dimon’s portrait will be commissioned or acquired by the gallery ahead of a Nov. 15 award gala. The portrait will be on view through Oct. 25, 2026, and will then enter the museum’s permanent collection. Dimon joins filmmaker Steven Spielberg, scientist and autism awareness advocate Temple Grandin, and US poet laureate Joy Harajo in receiving this distinctive honor.
Miss: Picture Imperfect. Also making news this week was Brynn Burns, a photographer who sued Move Inc., the parent company of Realtor.com, and the National Association of Realtors for not seeking permission to publish her photographs of NFL star Travis Kelce’s property in Kansas City. In case you forgot, that property is where Kelce proposed to what’s-her-name in August (seriously, does she need any more publicity?). Burns alleged her copyright-protected photographs were used “to drive millions of people to Defendants’ profitable website,” adding Move Inc. and NAR thought “it would be better (and cheaper) to ‘beg forgiveness’ rather than to have sought Plaintiff’s permission.” Realtor.com previously paid to license those photographs, but Burns insisted that license expired before they were reprinted to cover the engagement news.
Miss: Picture Imperfect, Part 2. The biggest real estate story out of Washington this week involves President Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House for the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The Department of the Treasury is located next to the East Wing, and Treasury employees have been ordered not to take and share photographs of the demolition work. Some photos of the controversial project already surfaced across social media, and the camera angles made it obvious where the photographers were based. A Treasury spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that photos of the construction project could “potentially reveal sensitive items, including security features or confidential structural details.” More likely, the photos would be used to further fuel the Trump Derangement Syndrome that infected the president’s always-agitated critics, who are seizing on the demolition as further evidence that he is supposedly a threat to democracy.
In Memoriam: Jacquelyn Ryan Wynne. This week, we learned of the Oct. 17 passing of Jacquelyn Ryan Wynne, a realtor at Allie Beth Allman and one of the most vivacious figures in the Dallas real estate world and social scene. Known as “Jacque,” she gained national prominence as the co-founder of the annual Dallas Cattle Baron’s Ball, which began in 1974 and grew into the American Cancer Society’s largest one-night fundraiser. For the past 51 years, this event raised more than $105 million for cancer research. Wynne passed away on her 78th birthday, and her legacy will continue to resonate for years to come.
Phil Hall is editor of Weekly Real Estate News. He can be reached at [email protected].
Photo by JasonParis / Flickr Creative Commons
