Wolfe “works with the insult factor.”
In a conversation on Tuesday with The Real Estate, the developer Aby Rosen did his best to besmirch the knight in a white suit who tried to rescue 980 Madison in the Times this weekend:
Tom Wolfe loves to rant and he’s been ranting against the city and the Landmarks [Preservation] Commission and the commissioners left and right. I think the commissioners are doing a fantastic job. They do not need Tom Wolfe telling them what to do. The landmarking issue is worldwide. There is an issue, but he works with the insult factor. I always felt insults were a sign of weakness, not strength. He should stick to writing books. His facts were not great, either. It’s easy to write an op-ed piece. You can pick and choose your facts.
Rosen, whom Wolfe described standing outside last month’s commission hearing with his “chin up, tummy out,” went on to extol all the great parts of 980 Madison Avenue that Charlotte Simmons’ alter ego overlooked: the museum, sculpture garden, green technology and a very nice building to boot.
“I am a respected developer. I would do things right.”
– Matthew Schuerman
