Books line the foyer of the two-bedroom home of Michael Gross, author of three works about the houses of the rich and powerful, near the southern edge of Central Park in New York, Feb. 19, 2014. Gross, a former rock music reporter whose can recall the days of $175-a-month studios in Manhattan, now lives within the halo effect of 15 Central Park West, described as "the world's most powerful address" in his most recent book. (Bruce Buck/The New York Times)