Ayn Rand spent a lot of time in this neighborhood when she lived in New York. She spent about 6 months sitting at a desk in Ely Jacques Kahn's Architectural firm researching for The Fountainhead. In fact he was the model for Guy Francon. Similarly, Atlas Shrugged was set nearby. Grand Central Terminal was rechristened the Taggert Terminal in the book and the NY Central Building became Taggert Transcontinental.
