In silence lies the power, especially in a place like Manhattan. The thought also Robert de Niro and planned for his Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca Penthouse an idyllic oasis. But even a Hollywood star like De Niro is occasionally knocked off a wish. Sometimes even two. Several years denied the actor with the conservation authority in New York, which refused to grant him the building permit. And then he had to for months the Belgian art dealer, gallery owner and interior designer Axel Vervoordt ensnare the already designed for Kanye West, Bill Gates and Calvin Klein, but just had to create no hotel suite. “Robert was incredibly persistent, has repeatedly visited me at our castle in Antwerp, until I finally caved,” recalled the 66 year old laughing and created in collaboration with the Japanese architect Tatsuro Miki a design that even inspired the Monument Commission at the end. After years of resistance, the jury agreed unanimously.