Comments on: Mystery on 5th Avenue

Mystery on 5th Avenue

Who_Am_I — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:03:36 -0800

It began when Mr. Klinsky threw in his two cents, a vague request that a poem he had written for and about his family be lodged in a wall somewhere, Ms. Sherry said, "put in a bottle and hidden away as if it were a time capsule."
Sometimes when you make a simple suggestion about the remodeling of your $8.5 million 5th Ave. apartment, the designer goes a little overboard. In an awesome way. Don't miss the slideshow.

By: ssmith

ssmith — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:13:12 -0800

Amazing. It's like Myst brought to life.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:14:11 -0800

This made my week.

By: These Premises Are Alarmed

These Premises Are Alarmed — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:17:23 -0800

Holy crap. I lvoe it all, but especially the radiator cover, it's such a mundane thing so perfectly personalized.

By: These Premises Are Alarmed

These Premises Are Alarmed — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:17:50 -0800

'lvoe' is a cypher for 'really dig'.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:18:22 -0800

I'd like to complain about wealthy people and their silly toys, but this is much too cool. I've got to take up carpentry so I can have some hidden rooms and other neat stuff someday.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:19:23 -0800

The firm waited a YEAR for the owners to discover the clues. Wow! I can't imagine what it was like to wait and not spoil the surprise. This is amazing.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:22:15 -0800

Not nearly as cool as all of this, but I have friends in Texas who had a bookcase with a hidden door built into their home, as well as some other secret passages. One day, when I build a house, it's going to be tricked out like this, somehow.

By: aramaic

aramaic — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:22:52 -0800

This is the kind of thing I've always wanted, and never been able, to do. *bursts into tears* (also: cool!)

By: Halloween Jack

Halloween Jack — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:26:30 -0800

I used to think, when I was a kid, that all houses had secret doors and passageways.

By: pointilist

pointilist — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:30:41 -0800

Very nicely done.

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:31:52 -0800

Very neat, very expensive, I'll take two.

By: Pastabagel

Pastabagel — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:34:34 -0800

This is awesome. I am so building something like this into my next house. Hidden magnetic locks? Hells yes.

By: Mike D

Mike D — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:34:43 -0800

Well at least we finally know where Bear Stearns put all the life savings investment money that people entrusted to them. Thanks goodness _that_ little puzzle has been solved.

By: bitter-girl.com

bitter-girl.com — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:36:42 -0800

My idea to embed lucky and interesting objects inside the bales of the straw bale house I want to build someday is just... well... lame now.

By: Who_Am_I

Who_Am_I — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:36:42 -0800

I used to think, when I was a kid, that all houses had secret doors and passageways. They do, you just have to look harder ;) I especially enjoyed the fact that it was a little kid, and not even one who lived there, who finally noticed the cypher. And yeah ColdChef, I would have lasted about a week before I called them, yelling "look at the freakin' radiator already!"

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:51:09 -0800

Several years ago somebody told me that many of the china hutches that were built-ins in old prohibition-era, craftsman style homes actually had secret compartments in the back for storing alcohol. I thought it highly unlikely, but I've now lived in several craftsman-style places in Oakland that were built in the early 20th century, and my kid-like wonder prevails despite logic, because one of the first things I do when I move in is check the backs of the built-ins for lost treasure.

By: Madamina

Madamina — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:54:37 -0800

My inner nerd weeps with longing. My outer nerd wants to hone her woodworking skills. *twitch*

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:55:44 -0800

My sister-in-law is an interior designer. One of her clients was the co-founder of a well-known videogame company. She was asked to design the house with all sorts of hidden passageways, secret rooms, tunnels, etc. Imagineers from Disney also worked on trhe project, creating a subterranean landscape with hidden treasures, etc. For example in one hallway made to look like the interior of a Pullman sleeping car (with small childrens' guestrooms modelled on a train's cubby-hole sleeping quarters) you pass your hand on the underside of a wooden railing, tripping a sliding panel at knee level. By climbing through you enter a maze which eventually takes you down ladders, etc. As you traverse this maze you can find other "portals," such as one which opens up as a back panel to a locker in the pool house; another opening up behind a waterfall that empties into the pool. A fake file cabinet in the home study is actually a door, etc. Very cool.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:57:54 -0800

somebody told me that many of the china hutches that were built-ins in old prohibition-era, craftsman style homes actually had secret compartments in the back for storing alcohol . . . my kid-like wonder prevails despite logic, because one of the first things I do when I move in is check the backs of the built-ins for lost treasure. For "lost treasure", read "bathtub gin". Win!

By: iconomy

iconomy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:01:08 -0800

Gah. I can't decode the radiator cover cypher exactly. I think it's supposed to say Cavan, the archer's child; curious, bright - - your quick mind pivots and leaps like a dancer. The key to preserving curiousity's light is to love the question as much as the answer. but what I actually have here on the paper in front of me is Cavan, the archer's child; curioum, bright - - your quice gind pivots and leaps like a dancer. The key to preserving curioumity's light is to love the question as much as the answer. So Cavan's friend is better at this than I am. Unless Cavan does have a quice gind, and in that case, good for him! He can probably afford one. (What am I doing wrong? I know I spelled curiosity incorrectly...)

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:01:57 -0800

That is the awesomest project ever. That is one inspired designer. I think that article just guaranteed that he's now booked for the rest of his life.

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:04:23 -0800

Very, very cool!! LOVE this kind of stuff!! Great post!!

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:11:47 -0800

This is some damn cool. Ever since I was a kid I've dreamt of a house full of secret hiding places and that fascination still hasn't gone away. And making the house a giant puzzle is even cooler.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:13:16 -0800

This is the kind of thing I've always wanted, and never been able, to do. That's because builders, architects, interior designers, sculptors and cabinet makers only work for free on the homes of people who can already afford to spend $8m on their apartment. Presumably they subsidize the free work (I hesitate to call it pro bono as this is about as close as the public will get to that apartment) that they do for the rich by overcharging the middle classes?

By: everichon

everichon — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:16:52 -0800

So fucking cool. I am reassured when I hear of people being able and willing to do clever, extravagant things like this. Viva ludic deisgn.

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:19:18 -0800

Yeah my disdain for the rich is weighing against my admiration of people who obey God's commandment to "Go forth and do cool shit!" and my love of awesomeness is winning.

By: everichon

everichon — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:27:02 -0800

EAT THE RICH after they solve the puzzle

By: genefinder

genefinder — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:35:53 -0800

This is excellent. I'd love to have some of this in my home. When my son leaves for college, I am walling off his bedroom with a secret bookcase or something. Not really, but I want to.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:38:52 -0800

There's also the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

By: Pantengliopoli

Pantengliopoli — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:41:03 -0800

Fantastic --- thanks for posting. If I could gut my house and start from scratch, it would have crap like this everywhere. Now, where's my infinite coin purse...

By: aramaic

aramaic — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:41:52 -0800

When my son leaves for college, I am walling off his bedroom with a secret bookcase or something You absolutely must do this. It's mandatory. At a bare minimum, you should wall up the room with drywall & repaint, so that the door to his room no longer exists. Then, when he comes back on break and wonders where his room went, you can nonchalantly reply "Room? What room? There's never been a room there." Please. I'm begging you.

By: empath

empath — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:44:20 -0800

I'm wondering if the architect was a cloudmaker. I'm kind of fascinated by the whole ARG phenomenon. I really don't think the potential for artistic achievement there has gotten even close to being reached.

By: empath

empath — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:45:03 -0800

Then, when he comes back on break and wonders where his room went, you can nonchalantly reply "Room? What room? There's never been a room there." pffft... too weaksauce. "Son? I never had a son..."

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:47:28 -0800

"Son? Why my son . . . has been dead for thirty years!"

By: kbanas

kbanas — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:53:50 -0800

Or even better, just get a new son and move him into the room... "You're not Bobby! This is Bobby!" For some reason, I'm reminded of that movie with the little kid and the UFO and he travels in time (maybe) and different people live in his house? Flight of the.. Hrm... Flight of the Navigator? Was that a thing?

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:53:58 -0800

The film is set in the year 2026, in the extraordinary Gothic skyscrapers of a corporate city-state, the Metropolis of the title. Society has been divided into two rigid groups: one of planners or thinkers, who live high above the earth in luxury, and another of workers who live underground toiling to sustain the lives of the privileged. Metropolis, 1929.

By: kbanas

kbanas — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:55:24 -0800

Also, that whole article was fantastic. My house has a secret room. It's called the crawl space, and it's full of dirt and gigantic spiders and plumbing and wiring. Somehow, it's less cool.

By: Who_Am_I

Who_Am_I — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:57:29 -0800

Hmm, interesting iconomy. If I'm seeing it right, that means there are 4 incorrect letters in the cypher, 2 of which are in instances of (close to) the same word. The 4 "wrong" letters on the radiator are PHJP, which translate to MEGM. If it were all spelled correctly, you would have VNPV on the radiator mapping to SKMS in the translation, but you'd also have to take out the X->U from 'curiousity.' Note that the four wrong letter are just cyphered in the wrong direction, i.e. instead of shifting the real letters forward 3 to get the code, they've been shifted back 3. I'm guessing that it's a clue, but I don't think we have enough information about all the stuff in the apartment to actually figure it out.

By: dirtynumbangelboy

dirtynumbangelboy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:04:17 -0800

WANT

By: dersins

dersins — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:11:18 -0800

This is awesome, but I can't hep but feel a little sad about one thing.... When high-end NY apartments like this one change owners, they are invariably subjected to a studs-down remodel. Some time in the next decade or so, some hedge-fund douchebag is going to have all of this ripped out and replaced with stainless steel walls (or molded fiberglass, or virgins' teeth, or whatever retarded shit is in temporary vogue at the time).

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:19:23 -0800

some hedge-fund douchebag "The father, Steven B. Klinsky, 52, runs a private equity company; the mother, Maureen Sherry, 44, left her job as a managing director for Bear Stearns to raise their four young children..."

By: mumkin

mumkin — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:22:58 -0800

Yeah, iconomy, I came up with the same and kept checking and rechecking to make sure I'd transcribed it properly. I've got to believe that those "errors" are meaningful in some way, as Who_Am_I suggests, because it just doesn't seem like the kind of thing that designer would allow to stand otherwise.

By: peachfuzz

peachfuzz — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:24:04 -0800

AHHHHH! It's like a real-life room escape game, right down to random things that you need to put together to do some other random thing. LOVE.

By: papercake

papercake — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:43:24 -0800

How nice for them. This is really cool, but it's hard to not want to say "fuck the rich and their fun" from my overcrowded, cramped midtown apartment. Yeah, I'm just jealous.

By: paddysat

paddysat — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:59:14 -0800

So wonderful in every way.

By: quin

quin — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:06:39 -0800

That is so very cool. So very, very cool... You know, my house has some weird stuff sort of similar to this. Like that scuff mark on the wall next to where we keep our shoes. I bet it's some kind way of showing that there is a secret passage. When I get home tonight, I'm going to find it... with my pick-axe! My wife is going to be so excited when she finds out what I've discovered!

By: azlondon

azlondon — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:06:45 -0800

Finally, an clue that led them to the location of the new toilet rolls. Ha! the rich are just like everyone else.

By: dersins

dersins — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:11:08 -0800

"The father, Steven B. Klinsky, 52, runs a private equity company; the mother, Maureen Sherry, 44, left her job as a managing director for Bear Stearns to raise their four young children..." Sorry, I should have said "some other hedge-find douchebag..."

By: iconomy

iconomy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:25:58 -0800

I find it unbelievable that the family lived with those radiator covers for a year and no one was curious (or is that curioum....) enough to sit down with a paper and pencil and figure out if the letters meant something.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:56:44 -0800

Oh. My. Shit. This seriously brings tears to my eyes it is so cool. Imagine the feeling of living in your fabulous new apartment for A YEAR, getting used to it, realizing that you are finally feeling at home in it, that you know all its quirks and crevices, and then you find out there is A WHOLE WORLD OF IT THAT YOU NEVER KNEW. Oh man. And the fuckers that live there "remain bemused"? Bemused? Mr. Clough, come to my house and work your shit for my daughter and I and we will lap up your puzzles like they are the last water on earth. Wow.

By: Dormant Gorilla

Dormant Gorilla — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:00:13 -0800

Flight of the Navigator? Was that a thing? It was a thing. It was an awesome thing. And this house? Even more awesome. One year for Christmas my mother made a huge jigsaw puzzle that, once my sister and I had put together, contained a poem with a bunch of in-family references that created a puzzle we had to solve to figure out where our Christmas presents were. Highlight of my youth. This is like that, but with math and a huge budget. It's just so cool it makes me hop up and down. Thanks so much for posting it.

By: lostburner

lostburner — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:01:46 -0800

My uncle was a serious hippie in his time. He built a two-story house in the woods in British Columbia and made a living making and selling various crafts. I always admired the way the house was built, because he was an inventor at heart and designed so many clever things into it, including a rope swing in the middle of the living room. When he died, we were cleaning out his house and found a secret room in the basement behind a waist-high particle-board wall panel. Inside, we found the remains of a very well-furnished mushroom-growing operation with multiple racks, an insulated temperature-controlled environment, fluorescent grow lights... I loved that man. It made my year. I hadn't heard a word about it in the 10+ summers I'd spent at that house.

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:04:55 -0800

Another evening, Ms. Sherry and Mr. Klinsky were lying in their custom-made bed when a rod running along its foot snapped off. "I'm thinking, What the heck kind of cheap bed is this?" said Ms. Sherry, who phoned Mr. Clough the next day. His response, which might have taken a less adventurous person aback, was that she take a wait-and-see attitude, that the bed bit was part of a larger "story" and that all would be revealed in good time. I can just imagine crappy contractors trying to pull this on their clients. "What's that? The drywall's cracked and bits are falling off the ceiling? No, no, nothing to worry about. It's all part of a larger story. All will be revealed in good time."

By: setanor

setanor — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:13:35 -0800

Yes, I'm sure that peaceful lazing in their bed is what caused the rod to snap off.

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:21:15 -0800

Sorry, I should have said "some other hedge-find douchebag..." posted by dersins at 10:11 AM on June 12 [+] [!] From the article: "Mr. Klinsky runs Victory Schools, a charter school company that seeds schools in neighborhoods around the country, as well as an after-school program in East New York that his own children help out with regularly." Possibly not a total douchebag?

By: lostburner

lostburner — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:21:28 -0800

the mother, Maureen Sherry, 44, left her job as a managing director for Bear Stearns to raise their four young children Suuuure.

By: Chrischris

Chrischris — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:01:58 -0800

From the article: "Mr. Klinsky runs Victory Schools, a charter school company that seeds schools in neighborhoods around the country, as well as an after-school program in East New York that his own children help out with regularly." Possibly not a total douchebag? Judge for yourself (Disclaimer: political contributions may not necessarily be an appropriate metric for making moral assessments, but they certainly can help bring them into focus.)

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:07:10 -0800

I cannot deny my envy, and I do wish this miracle had been worked for people without the ability to realise any dream they like on a minute-by-minute basis, but, damn, this is some righteous puzzle-making.

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:09:10 -0800

Chrischris: yikes. I'm glad I checked that out, but it was a bit of a bummer. Dang.

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:11:01 -0800

When I was a very little kid we lived in a house on the estate of some eccentric 19th century naturalists, the Kennicotts. One of the manifestations of the Kennicott eccentricities was the "added features" of the homes on the estate. Each had multiple secret tunnels and pannels within the walls. The design tricked the eye so that the houses had, not just secret rooms, but secret wings. All of the buildings were connected by underground tunnels that were hidden behind bookcases and in closets. After we moved away, they discovered a trap door in the closet of my upstairs bedroom that ran to a never before discovered tunnel system linking even more out buildings on the estate.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:18:45 -0800

Upon returning from a trip to Seattle, the Navidson family discovers a change in their home. A closet-like space shut behind an undecorated door appears inexplicably where previously there was only a blank wall. A second door appears at the end of the closet, leading to the children's room. As Navidson investigates this phenomenon, he finds that the internal measurements of the house are somehow larger than external measurements. Initially there is less than an inch of difference, but as time passes the interior of the house is found to be seemingly expanding, while maintaining the same exterior proportions. A third change asserts itself: a dark, cold hallway in their living room wall that, according to the laws of physics, should extend out into their yard, but doesn't.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:37:39 -0800

I guess I'm the only one that thinks this would be incredibly annoying. Halp, I can't open the refrigerator until I find the crank that turns the lock that opens the floor which holds the cipher that finds the maze that leads me to the key!

By: turgid dahlia

turgid dahlia — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:59:07 -0800

This is neat, but what I really want to know is where's the hidden door behind which the dad keeps his "second family"?

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:44:27 -0800

So between the Bears-Stearn connection and the charter school bullshit, this was done with what's essentially stolen money, right? Somehow that manages to take a lot of the cool out of it.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:50:53 -0800

Bear-Stearns made lots of money right up the the moment where they lost it all and then some. Ah, leverage.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:23:21 -0800

Oh, you bitter poor people.

By: divabat

divabat — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:24:46 -0800

I love treasure hunts. I WANT THIS HOUSE.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:32:13 -0800

Well played Mr. Architect. Oh, I get it; all wealthy people are douchebags? Discount his work with charter schools because he is rich. Oh, all the people who worked at BSC caused everyone else to lose money. It must be hard for so many of you to go through life so bitter.

By: Addlepated

Addlepated — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:42:06 -0800

Britannia Manor, built for Richard Garriott (possibly the house referred to upthread?) has all sorts of secret passageways and stuff. It's really, really cool. And one time I stayed in a hostel in London that had a secret room behind a bookcase. It was the only room in the house with a television, if I recall correctly.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:45:10 -0800

Charter schools are pretty douchey, actually. A number of studies show them to be remarkable bad at educating. Good at profits, though, if that's your bag.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:56:04 -0800

Britannia Manor, built for Richard Garriott (possibly the house referred to upthread?) No. Not the home to which I refer upthread.

By: Space Kitty

Space Kitty — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:40:31 -0800

I used to work for an investment management company. I always suspected there was a level of wealth an order of magnitude beyond what most people were aware. I had no idea. ohgoddontwannabebitter

By: dydecker

dydecker — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:29:19 -0800

she is a former triathlete and nonfiction writer who is more interested in her children's sneakers than in the offerings of the shoe department at Barneys. LOL. No, she's not a materialist ninny - after all she just spent tens of millions of dollars on a house

By: computech_apolloniajames

computech_apolloniajames — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:50:23 -0800

This story fits in perfectly with the Times' focusing on this rich demographic. You and I, who are lucky to have two walls to rub together, are expected to read about their ginormous homes and second homes and eclectic interior decoration with envy. We're supposed to think, gosh, they're not your regular rich-as-fuck douchebags, they actually have taste and awareness of things outside their little money-cushioned sphere of existence. Fuck 'em all.

By: speicus

speicus — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:07:56 -0800

Maybe it's just me, but it kind of shocked me how little imagination the members of this family have -- it really took them months to figure out that something was odd about their new place? That Caesar cipher, for example, is the most obvious thing in the world -- if you see that you should immediately know something is up. But it took a curious "friend" to clue the family in. It would be nice if this led to the architect doing a public project, like a park or museum, that allows the public to enjoy this kind of puzzle-making other than vicariously.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:09:52 -0800

Too busy counting their doubloons, I'd imagine.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:58:19 -0800

Probably don't actually live there. Just stay there on weekends, once a month.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:58:57 -0800

Because they're so filthy rich they wear houses like clothes.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:24:58 -0800

Some certainly are. Has wealth disparity ever been so high? I imagine that ye olde kings were mega-magnitudes wealthier than their subjects. Could well be things have always been this vulgar.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:54:48 -0800

You just have more visibility to it now. Although still not that much really... who knows what luxury lurks in the farmlands of Connecticut? Some roads only have stone walls and gates lining them.

By: Prospero

Prospero — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:44:20 -0800

J. J. Abrams is developing this story into a feature film at Paramount.