(This article originally appeared in the October 19, 2010 edition of the Century City News)
By Michael Douglas Carlin
It was a banking crisis at a time when art had reached new heights. A new priest, Savoronola, has arrived in Florence. He preaches that notes of protestation should be placed upon any art that is offensive. His sermons rise in popularity as the banks of Lorenzo Medici (known as Lorenzo the Magnificent) are failing around the world. Lorenzo’s financial upheaval causes his physical health to wan. Soon he is on his deathbed and he sends for Savoronala for a final confession.
Emboldened by the death of Lorenzo, Savoronola preaches that the art with the notes is to be destroyed. The Bonfire of the Vanities ensues. Paintings, books, cosmetics, statues and other representations of the times were piled high and burned with militant youths cheering at the urging of Guilermo Savaronola. Much of the wealth of Renaissance Florence is destroyed before Savaronla, himself, is burned at the stake for heresy. In the aftermath Florence lay in ruins.
A young artist carves away at a thirteen foot block of marble that other sculptors have rejected as flawed. We can all imagine the number of people that advised against this. He completes his statue a short time after the bonfires have consumed some of the most valuable art ever created. The process of moving the heavy statue takes many hours…lingering into the late night. Vandals come and attempt to destroy the statue by throwing rocks while it is being moved. The young artist fears that this statue and three years of hard work will be immediately destroyed.
Once the statue of David (who in bible times had battled the giant Goliath) reaches its final resting place, Michelangelo is so fatigued that he heads home and collapses sleeping until late afternoon the next day. When Michelangelo arrives in the town square his heart, already distraught over the attempted vandalism, sinks from the thousands of notes attached to the statue. He assumes that these notes are of protestation like the ones Savoronola incited. When he arrives at the statue he begins reading. To his astonishment they are notes of praise. They are thanking him for redeeming Florence. The David inspired hope for a brighter future. The David symbolized independence, and triumph over a giant by a small boy. The David was the greatest work of art ever achieved.
Now, five hundred years later, we have a similar banking crisis that has left much of the American economy in ruins. In the midst of this upheaval an entrepreneur, Stephen Ross, has been busy carving a statue in Century City. In this era of trillions of dollars, a single piece of property has elevated bedrock to a new height.
I have been writing about the impossible situation that The Century occupies: luxury condominiums at a time when real estate is sketchy. I have been saying that you should delay your purchase because you might get a better deal later. That was before architect, Phoebe Yee, gave me a tour of the property. What I expected to find was a builder that cut corners at a time when money supplies tightened and credit was frozen. I expected a building. What I discovered is a work of art. No expense was spared in creating the ultimate living experience.
I have been in every building in Century City. I have been on the roofs of several. There is a feel when you get up on the higher floors. Many of the buildings in Century City feel vibrations and swaying. The Century has a much different feel. It is as if somehow the architect and builder were able to rise up the bedrock to the top floors. It literally feels as if it is a statue carved out of solid marble.
Every detail has been anticipated to create the ultimate living experience. Balconies to entertain, separate entrances for services, layers of security built in, landscaping to provide an oasis feel in the midst of busy Century City, downstairs rooms for dinner parties, downstairs offices and maids quarters, guest suites for visitors, as well as all of the amenities you would expect like exercise facilities, valet parking, twenty-four hour security, and a dog park.
If there was an offering for a share of the statue of David there would, no doubt, be a flurry of bidding for this one of a kind work of art. I believe that The Century is so uniquely situated that there will never be a duplicate or an equal. The Westfield project on the corner of Avenue of the Stars, The JMB property on the corner of Constellation and Avenue of the Stars, the Century Plaza Hotel property, and the property at 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard will all be successful projects but the limited supply of units in The Century will always be thought of as a work of art.
Like all fine art, there is a limited supply. When I look at The Century now, I don’t see a building I see the statue of David that has classed up the Century City skyline. The David stands there and taunts the other developers that are working on their projects to “one up” it. The nature of development, that is usually handled by awarding contracts to the low cost bidder, will always keep this work of art above the others as clearly this was built in a manner where every element was seen as an opportunity to ascend at a time when conventional wisdom saw this as folly. Now this decadence and opulence taken to new heights serves to elevate humankind into a type of living that may never again be attained.
The big question has always been, if Candy Spelling is moving in and when. Now that I have experienced The Century, I no longer ask that question. I am confident that with all of the billionaires vying for a safe place to command their fortunes that The Century provides an unprecedented opportunity and very soon you might be wishing you had not waited to make your move.
When you look at the Century City skyline from now on, I would bet that you would see a daring gamble that was just like Michelangelo’s gamble five hundred years ago. Each of them took about three years to construct and each of them seemed foolish, given the times, but each of them are an inspiration to remind us that creativity attains new heights in some of the most challenging of times.
Stephen Ross, I was one who formerly threw rocks at the unveiled new statue in Century City, now I congratulate you on your vision in creating a tremendous work of art that I may never live in but I will always appreciate as a one of a kind legacy that will outlive us all.
