“In November ‘68 I bought a cast-iron building in the Cast-Iron District of New York City. The building was built in 1870 and designed by Nicholas Whyte, whose only other cast-iron building is in Brazil….The given circumstances were very simple: the floors must be open, the right angle of windows on each floor must not be interrupted, and any changes must be compatible. My requirements were that the building be useful for living and working and more importantly, more definitely, be a space...