Classicism in the Sky: The Return of the Elegant Skyscraper

with Dan Lobitz, Peter Pennoyer, & Paul Whalen; moderated by Stephen Wallis

“Throughout the past decade and a half, New York City’s skyline-altering luxury building boom has produced no shortage of eye-catching, unmistakably contemporary landmarks. Some are twisting or gridded or stacked like Jenga blocks, others are sleek and supertall, and nearly all are clad in shimmering expanses of glass (see Hudson Yards). But there is another side to this story. Amid the futuristic never-seen-that-before, stretching-into-the-clouds pyrotechnics, some of the city’s most prestigious new apartment high-rises are being designed by architects who unabashedly look to the past.”

On June 7, 2023, the ICAA hosted a panel discussion as an expansion of the Veranda article, Is the Future of American High-Rise Residences Rooted in Old-World Elegance? by Stephen Wallis. Held at the offices of Robert A.M. Stern Architects and moderated by Stephen Wallis, the panel consisted of Paul Whalen and Dan Lobitz, Partners at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Peter Pennoyer, Principal of Peter Pennoyer Architects. The three architects discussed how their firms' buildings have risen to meet the demands of modern life, while still harkening back to the old-school elegance of the classic buildings that form New York's architectural fabric.

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Stephen Wallis is a New York City–based writer and editor. He serves as the consulting features editor for Galerie magazine and contributes to a variety of publications, including the New York Times, WSJ magazine, Elle Decor, Veranda, Architectural Digest, Interior Design, and 1stDibs. Over the course of his nearly three-decade career, he has held senior editorial roles at a variety of design, art, and lifestyle magazines, including Departures and Architectural Digest, where he served as the executive editor.

Daniel Lobitz, Partner, joined Robert A.M. Stern Architects in 1986. He has been responsible for the design and management of a diverse body of work including large-scale town and urban planning projects, multifamily residential buildings, hotels and resorts, mixed-use developments, private houses, and institutional buildings. He also leads the design of the firm’s licensed product program. He is currently Project Partner leading the design teams for 261 Hudson Street in New York; One Bennett Park in Chicago; One Mayfair in London; and 875 California Street in San Francisco. Completed New York projects include 70 Vestry, and Abington House on the New York High Line, and The Four Seasons Downtown, Hotel and Residences at 30 Park Place in New York City -- an 82-story tower that accommodates 157 top-end condominium apartments and a 189-key five-star Four Seasons hotel.

Mr. Lobitz received his Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University in 1982 and his Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in 1986. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Cornell Hotel Society. He serves on the Board of Directors of Puppies Behind Bars. He is a registered architect in the State of New York and many other states.

Peter Pennoyer is the founding partner of Peter Pennoyer Architects, a New York–based architecture and design firm with an office in Miami. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he is the co-author, with Anne Walker, of five books on early twentieth-century American architects and the author of A House in the Country, written with his wife, interior designer Katie Ridder. Recent projects include a house for the Jeff Koons family; an apartment building on Madison Avenue; the new Art Deco clock in Moynihan Train Hall; and Rowdy Meadow, an award-winning Czech Cubism–style house in Ohio, the subject of a book published by Vendome Press in 2021. Peter Pennoyer Architects: City | Country is being published this fall. Follow Peter and Peter Pennoyer Architects on Instagram @peterpennoyerarchitects.

Paul Whalen, AIA, has been a Partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects since 1989. During this time, he has been responsible for two of the most influential urban planning projects of our time: the new town of Celebration, Florida, and a plan and guidelines that revived the theater block of New York City's 42nd Street, which won an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects. His residential projects include New York’s game-changing 15 Central Park West for Zeckendorf Development; buildings in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles for Related; 30 Park Place Four Seasons Downtown New York for Silverstein Properties; and condominium buildings—some with hotel components—in Atlanta, Dallas, Toronto, and Taipei. Paul also has significant experience in the design of buildings for healthcare institutions and for universities and graduate schools.

Paul graduated from Columbia University in 1978 and received his Master of Architecture degree from Princeton University in 1981. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Paul is a registered architect in New York and sixteen other states.