Four years ago, Marvin Trachtenberg invited me to take a tour of the building where he had taught architectural history of the Italian Renaissance for more than 50 years. The Institute of Fine Arts of NYU is housed in the James B. Duke mansion at 5th Avenue and 78th Street. As we ascended the grand staircase, Marvin explained how various spaces had been converted from living room into library, …
Four years ago, Marvin Trachtenberg invited me to take a tour of the building where he had taught architectural history of the Italian Renaissance for more than 50 years. The Institute of Fine Arts of NYU is housed in the James B. Duke mansion at 5th Avenue and 78th Street. As we ascended the grand staircase, Marvin explained how various spaces had been converted from living room into library, from dining room into conference hall – on and on. We traveled through three stories where hallways, closets, and Doris Duke’s former dressing room were all lined floor-to-ceiling with bookcases.
We …
