March 19, 2004 -- The tony
address of 770 Park Ave. is the biggest Democratic presidential
money pit in the city, with more than 20 donors pitching in $50,000
to candidates, according to a new Web site.
On the Republican side, the gold mine is 85 Broad St. - the New
York headquarters of investment-banking giant Goldman Sachs - the
www.fundrace.org Web site reveals.
Sixteen Goldman employees, including Chairman and CEO Henry
Paulson, pitched in a total of $29,000 to President Bush's
re-election campaign, more than any other Manhattan address.
The Web site allows Manhattan residents who are curious about the
political leanings of their neighbors to take a peek at whether the
couple down the hall donated to Bush or John Kerry.
Fundrace.org this week revamped its online presence to include an
apartment search, where you can find who's giving to whom by simply
entering a building address.
A Who's Who of New York's elite reside at 770 Park Ave.,
including one of the three Ziff brothers, New Line Cinema CEO
Michael Lynne and General Cigar CEO Edgar Cullman - all of whom gave
money to Democratic candidates.
Cullman hedged his bets, giving $2,000 to Sen. Joe Lieberman,
$1,000 each to Sens. Kerry and John Edwards and $2,000 to Bush.
Surprisingly, political discussions are not the norm in the
building's elevators and hallways, according to one resident who
wished to remain anonymous.
"People were pretty muted about it, because people were
supporting different [Democratic] candidates" during the primary,
said the apartment owner, who threw her financial support behind
Howard Dean.
High-priced fund-raisers are the norm, however, with one building
resident throwing a soiree for Kerry last week. Rounding out the top
five Manhattan buildings chock-full of Democratic donors are 300
Central Park West; 120 East End Ave.; 146 Central Park West; and
1185 Park Ave.
Two other high-powered investment banks, Blackstone and Bear
Stearns, own the buildings that have contributed the second and
third most money to Bush.
Blackstone employees at 345 Park Ave. have added $27,750 to
Bush's coffers, while Bear Stearns workers at 383 Madison Ave. and
two of their spouses have given Bush $22,500.
Fundrace.org searches apartments and houses in Los Angeles,
Washington, D.C., and eight other major cities.