Happy 34th Birthday, Selena!

Maybe the six degrees of separation will work here, and she'll receive my wish.

Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and producer. Gomez began her career on the children's television series Barney & Friends, and emerged as a teen idol for her leading role as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place. She signed with Hollywood Records and formed the band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which released three albums.

What does a third-generation American-Mexican actress, singer, and businesswoman have to do with architecture?

I can't find anything. But she's one of the co-stars alongside Martin Short and Steve Martin in Hulu's hit show, Only Murders in the Building.

The show is an American mystery comedy-drama television series that focuses on a trio of strangers (played by Martin, Short, and Gomez) with a shared interest in true crime podcasts, who become friends while investigating a succession of suspicious murders in the Arconia, their upscale apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and producing their own podcast about the cases, titled Only Murders in the Building.

Yes, I'm hooked. Although I must admit, Ms. Gomez, though charming and attractive, is not what attracted me to the show.

I've been a Steve Martin fan since "I'm a wild and craaaazy guy!" and "King Tut." I first saw him at the Riviera in Las Vegas (since torn down) when I was 17, way back in the 1900s.

The plots are really kind of far-fetched, and there's a bit of "over-acting," but its good-humor style is a nice break at the end of a long day of being a "professional."

I know you're wondering, once again, how we're meandering from this to architecture.

It drives my wife crazy, but when I'm watching TV, I'm primarily focused on the background, rather than the plot. I spend hours meandering on Google Maps searching for buildings I've seen in movie and TV show scenes. Sometimes, because they look familiar and I'm sure I've "been there." Usually, because it looks interesting.

During an episode of Bull, a scene was filmed at Pier 9 in Hudson River Park, New York City — a location that took me an hour and a half to track down.

In the background stood a striking, pyramid-shaped residential building that immediately caught my eye. It turned out to be Via 57 West, designed by the acclaimed architect Bjarke Ingels.

At the time, I had never heard of him, but a quick search led me to discover that he was speaking at a conference later that year. I registered, attended, and had the pleasure of meeting him in person.

So, as I mentioned, the "three amigos" in Only Murders in the Building reside in the "Arconia." Of course, I had to know if it really existed.

It does. However, for over 100 years it's been called The Belnord, a condominium building at 225 West 86th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

The 13-story structure was designed by Hiss and Weekes in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and occupies the full block between Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and 86th and 87th Streets.

Constructed between 1908 and 1909 by a syndicate of investors, The Belnord was originally developed as a rental apartment building. Today, it stands as a New York City designated landmark and holds a prestigious listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

You may recognize the name Robert A.M. Stern. His firm led the team that designed the modernized interiors in the 2010s.

I found what appears to be an original 1910 floor plan. I find it interesting that all of the bedrooms face the courtyard, while all the public living spaces face the cityscape. Something the show didn't get correct.

The Belnord has two entrances, one on 86th and one on 87th Street, each leading to six residential lobbies. This seems to give each entrance to an individual unit a semi-private feel. Something the show did get correct.

The main entrance on 86th Street features two massive, double-height archways that open into an interior courtyard. Above each archway are keystones with cartouches, while the undersides feature barrel-vaulted ceilings, multicolored frescoes, and three lanterns.

Writer Elizabeth Hawes described the barrel vault as "an architectural rite of passage," separating the enclosed courtyard from the open cityscape.

The courtyard is one of the largest in the city and was, at the time of construction, the largest interior court in the world.

It measures 231 feet long and approximately 94–98 feet wide. A 23-foot-wide driveway, originally paved in oak blocks to dampen sound, leads into the courtyard.

Inside are three landscaped gardens, including a small garden enclosed by an iron fence, lit by a dozen ornamental street lamps, and decorated with shrubs, trees, and a central fountain.

Priced between $3.4 million and upwards of $11 million, I couldn't find any units available for sale. However, I found where you can "Explore the Upper West Side's most storied building" online (don't skip the intro).

The website gives you a dozen or so interior shots of three or four units, and some beautiful shots of one of the entryways and the courtyard.

​Architectural Digest offers an inside look and more information on how top-tier design teams modernized the 1908 Italian Renaissance-style structure into luxury condominiums while preserving its historic character, grand interior courtyard, and Beaux-Arts architectural integrity (3-minute read).

After all this, here's my question.

Have you ever designed a residence or commercial building that went on to become a filming location for a movie or TV show? I’d love to hear your story and learn more about the design choices that made your building stand out!

Reply to this email and let me know the backstory!