YOU SEE, I HAVE THIS PROBLEM," Neil Jenney tells me when I meet him at the Wooster Street end of his 11,000-square-foot full-floor Soho loft. "I have a landline telephone, and I tell people, 'Let it ring because I have to run down the block to answer the phone." That phone is located in what Jenney calls his "everything" room, which is at the West Broadway end of the space that he bought for $36,000 in 1973.
Jenney, 77, got into Soho and the art world when the two were entirely intertwined and full of possibility. He grew up in Westfield, Massachusetts, around chickens and tobacco farms, where he worked in the summers. To this day, wearing V-neck denim overalls of his own design, he still looks a bit like he could be heading out to do some chores.
This story is from the July 3 - 16, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 3 - 16, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Our Campus.Our Crisis.
Inside the encampments and crackdowns that shook American politics.
Middle Management
A 40-something woman undergoes asexual awakening in Miranda July’s thrilling new work.
Return to Guantánamo
Serial dusts off American terror's old machinery.
Chekhov, Misfiring
An Uncle Vanya that’s all talk.
The Art World's Pot Stirrer Returns
Maurizio Cattelan’s first solo gallery show in more than 20 years is a provocative commentary on America’s ills.
On Normani's Time
Five years into her solo career, the pop star's debut album is finally imminent. She's not sorry for the wait.
French Quarter Seafood in Fort Greene
Lots of oysters and fillets of fish inspired by Nobu at Strange Delight.
Where Does the Wine Bar End and the Restaurant Begin?
Pét-nats, pan roasts, and a lobster on the loose at Penny and Demo.
Trial-and-Error Arcadia
Kitty Hawks and Larry Lederman's Chappaqua gardens have been a three-decade-long journey.
The Trash and Treasures of Temu
How are these headphones 4.98? And everything else you've wondered about the chaotic new Everything Store.