Tom Wolfe, March 2, 1930 – May 13, 2018
It is with great sadness that we reflect on the loss of American author, journalist, and friend of LANDMARK WEST!, Tom Wolfe, who died at age 88 in his adopted home of New York City on Monday.
While his New York Times obituary recalls his writing (in the words of the late William F. Buckley Jr.) to be that of ‘the most skillful writer in America’, Mr. Wolfe must also be noted for his role in preservation. A now infamous sampling may be read here, in The (Naked City) and the Undead.
Wolfe linked arms with our founder, Arlene Simon, and LANDMARK WEST! in our multi-year campaign for 2 Columbus Circle. The modern edifice designed by Edward Durell Stone for the former Huntington Hartford Gallery of Modern Art, became a touchstone for Mr. Wolfe who had previously criticized the genre in his book From Bauhaus to Our House. He was the journalist not afraid to point out the sources that likened LW! to the Taliban in The 2 Columbus Circle Game, or to call out hypocrisy for what it is such as in The Building That Isn’t There.
Cheers to Tom, the epitome of having “the right stuff”. You are deeply missed.
Reminisce on Tom Wolfe’s presence in LANDMARK WEST! history and newsletters.