Who

If there's anyone in town worthy of the annoying moniker "starchitect," it's Richard Meier.

Backstory

After earning an architecture degree from Cornell, Meier had short-lived gigs at Skidmore Owings Mills and Marcel Breuer before starting his own architecture studio—which he still runs today—in 1963. Meier rose to prominence as the most famous member of the New York Five, the legendary clique of modernist architects that also included Robert A.M. Stern, Peter Eisenman, and Michael Graves. Known for his sleek Le Corbusier-inspired designs and his (over)use of the color white, he's since architected a wide range of public and private edifices, including upscale residences, commercial buildings, courthouses, condo towers, and museums. Among his creations: corporate offices for Siemens, Swissair, and Canon; Atlanta's celebrated High Museum of Art; the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills; and Barcelona's Museum of Contemporary Art, which was completed in 1995. His greatest work is widely considered to be the Getty Center, the sprawling art museum/research center in LA, which was completed in 1997 at a cost of $1.2 billion.

Of note

In New York, Meier is best known for the three all-glass towers he designed at 173 and 176 Perry Street and 165 Charles Street in the West Village. The projects generated enormous buzz—thanks in no small part to the roster of A-listers who signed on early—but the Perry Street development turned into a PR disaster when residents complained about leaky ceilings, heating problems and buckling balcony floors. Meier was eventually compelled to correct the building's laundry list of structural flaws, which he has maintained were the construction crew's fault. Meier is currently plugging away at yet another glass condo tower: the Richard Meier On Prospect Park will overlook—yes, you guessed it—Prospect Park, and it won't be quite as pricey as the West Village towers—the penthouse is a downright bargain at $6 million. Pending approval by the city, Meier will design a constellation of residential and office towers for developer Sheldon Solow on the East Side between 35th and 41st Streets, in conjunction with David Childs. Meier's also at work on another 173/176 Perry-like glass condo tower in Philadelphia named Mandeville Place.

Namedrop

Lots of boldfaced names have plunked down steep sums to live in Meier-designed condos. A Meier-buyer twice over, Martha Stewart used to own a West Perry apartment, and then bought a $16 million spread on the 14th floor of 165 Charles, which she subsequently gave to her daughter Alexis. Jean-Georges Vongerichten lives in the Perry Street building; and Natalie Portman lives at 165 Charles. Other current/former inhabitants include developer Scott Resnick, Izak Senbahar (the developer of 165 Charles), Vincent Gallo, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, art collector Louise MacBain, Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy, Michael Jackson (of IAC, not Neverland Ranch), Calvin Klein, and Phil Suarez.

Trophy case

Meier won the Pritzker Prize in 1984, the most coveted award in architecture.

Personal

The bespectacled, white-haired Meier is divorced from his wife, Catherine Gormley, a fellow architect he married in 1978 and with whom he has to kids, Joseph and Ana. (Now single, the incorrigible flirt is an inevitable sight at architecture and society events around town.) He lives on the Upper East Side, in the same building as Pauline Pitt and Judge Kimba Wood.