Tour James Spindler, John Vitale’s Modernist U.N. Plaza Home

James Spindler and John Vitale had been living together for seven years in an edgy Union Square loft that was originally Vitale’s bachelor pad. It had a translucent wall between the shower and the kitchen and living area. Dramatic as it might have been, it came to feel too small for them both, especially after ­Vitale retired from his job as executive vice-­president for merchandising at Bloomingdale’s in 2016 and took up the banjo, necessitating thicker walls. “Banjo is a loud instrument, and it accelerated the search, I would say,” ­Spindler, the executive creative director of RadicalMedia, explains.

They had become familiar with U.N. Plaza because two of their friends, architect David Mann and his husband, Fritz Karch, lived there. The austere side-by-side steel-and-glass towers, which opened in 1966, were ­designed by Max Abramovitz of ­Harrison & Abramovitz, the firm that had partnered with Le Corbusier and Oscar ­Niemeyer, among others, on the design of the United Nations complex next door. But to lure buyers to the new buildings in the late ’60s, the illustrated ­brochure was styled to reassure potential residents accustomed to prewar luxury trappings that they could find them here, too, with interiors that came complete with ­crystal chandeliers, wood paneling, built-in bookcases, and curtain valances.

The 2,200-square-foot apartment Spindler and Vitale bought is on the 23rd floor and has dramatic views north and east. It “was unlike anything else we looked at,” says Spindler. But because it had been owned by one of the original residents, “it was a total maze” with an enclosed foyer and formal dining and living rooms. “It had dentil moldings and almost this rococo design,” Spindler says. Their friend and now neighbor David Mann of MR Architecture & ­Decor described it as “Fake French — Louis XVI, 1967.”

Mann, along with Brendan Sanchez and Kimberley Frederick, did a renovation that opened up the space and pared it down. Now you see the view, instead of a boxed-in foyer, the minute you walk in. The original owner’s doorknobs and drawer pulls — more suitable to the Plaza Hotel than a mid-­century icon — have been repurposed as coat hooks on one wall near the front door.

The entrance now opens into the living and dining area, which had been closed off before. The art on the left is by Robert Longo.
Photo: Annie Schletcher

The table is a custom ebonized oak made by Daniel Scuderi. The Mies van der Rohe chairs came from the couple’s Union Square loft. The Mimosa pendant is by Atelier Areti. The Luna pendant in the kitchen is by Schoolhouse. Sol LeWitt’s Black Bands in Two Directions hangs at right.
Photo: Annie Schletcher

Spindler and Vitale kept the original hardware from the previous owner and now use them as coat hooks. “We wanted to do something with it,” Spindler says, “and one of David’s colleagues had the idea of arranging them on this wall, and I think it’s great.”
Photo: Annie Schletcher

The den also used as a guest room, the Oxford sleeper sectional from Room & Board is reupholstered in Sahco Avalon Velvet by Eduardo Upholstery. The carpet is by Aronson’s Floor Covering. All the door frames have been redesigned to full height, adding to the sense of space.
Photo: Annie Schletcher

The kitchen renovation includes ceramic tiles from Mosaic House on the walls and Murano white terrazzo tile on the floors. The original wall phone from the ’60s was still in place when Spindler and Vitale bought the apartment. “Drapery Repairs” and “Dress Alterations” were listed on speed dial.
Photo: Annie Schletcher

The bedroom’s Ultrasuede walls were installed by Turner & Turner. The side-table lamp is by Curtis Jeré, and the king-size Lissoni bed is from Cassina. The banjo is John Vitale’s.
Photo: Annie Schletcher

John Vitale (left) and James Spindler (right) on the roof of theirbuilding with views out over the UN. They were photographed on April 8, 2024, the day of the eclipse, which explains the glasses.
Photo: Annie Schlechter