TV is full of eccentric characters – Latka Gravas from “Taxi,” Phoebe Buffay from “Friends,” “The Office’s” Dwight Schrute, the entire Bluth family from “Arrested Development” . . . But Adam Neumann (Jared Leto), the enigmatic figure at the center of the new Apple TV+ series “WeCrashed,” is based upon a real person, and, believe it or not, the show quite accurately represents his more outlandish quirks. The unconventional CEO/co-founder of WeWork, the shared office start-up with a cultish atmosphere, did once attempt to peddle knee pads for babies, was known for walking around the city of New York barefoot and did indeed grow up on a kibbutz in Israel, the latter of which shaped the sense of community he attempted to foster in his co-working environments.
Founded in 2010, WeWork proved an instant phenom, garnering a $1.3 billion valuation by 2013 and attracting such high-profile investors as JPMorgan Chase, Benchmark Captial and Masayoshi Son of SoftBank. The company’s fall from grace happened just as swiftly. Thanks to the prioritization of rapid growth and Neumann’s ferocious spending, WeWork bled through money as quickly as it came in. As NYU Stern School of Business Professor of Marketing Scott Galloway colorfully stated in the 2021 Hulu documentary “WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn,” “This was a company that was burning, at one point, $100 million a week. Think about this – you could buy two Bombardier Global Expresses at $50 million each, crash both into a mountain and that was the burn every week of this company!” Despite being “the second-largest shared office space provider” in 2018, according to Statista, and counting a whopping 6.5 million square feet of workspace in its portfolio, the company went from reaching an ultimate valuation of $47 billion to facing bankruptcy in just a matter of weeks the following year.
Neumann was forced to step down as CEO soon after, though he walked away (probably barefoot) with a $1.7 billion payout. WeWork managed to sustain under new leadership, following a restructuring and a series of massive layoffs, and is still going strong today with 800 locations currently in operation worldwide. Still, the story is generally viewed as a cautionary one.
The fictionalized retelling of the astonishing tale, which hit Apple TV+ last Friday and is scheduled to run through April 22, is gripping, though many are complaining it is far too sympathetic to both Adam and his wife, Rebekah Neumann (Anne Hathaway). Regardless, its locations are certainly noteworthy!
Set and filmed against the backdrop of a bustling Manhattan, “WeCrashed” makes use of several New York and New Jersey locales (though the colorful office that serves as WeWork’s “galactic headquarters” was just a set built at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens). Rebekah’s dream building, where Adam purchases a grand penthouse at the outset of his success, is exactly where the series purports it to be – overlooking Gramercy Park at 1 Lexington Ave. In episode two, Neumann and his business partner, architect Miguel McKelvey (Kyle Marvin), interview potential employees at the New York City Bagel & Coffee House outpost at 29-10 Broadway in Astoria.
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Image Credit: Apple Studios “WeCrashed’s” most stunning location, though (at least of the three episodes that have aired so far), is Rebekah’s childhood home. Said to be located in Lake Raquette in the Adirondack Mountains, the shingled waterside charmer can actually be found just 25 miles north of Manhattan in the Westchester County hamlet of Mamaroneck.
Originally built in 1900, the idyllic dwelling sits tucked at the conclusion of a quiet dead-end road abutting the Long Island Sound at 1057 Rushmore Ave. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.) Though Rebekah dismissively labels the place a “cabin,” its size is quite substantial, with five bedrooms and four baths spread throughout anywhere from 3,150 to 5,180 square feet, depending upon which real estate website you happen to be reading.
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Image Credit: Zillow The three-story abode was last offered for sale in November 2011 for $3,395,000, ultimately selling in April 2013 for $2.1 million. Per the listing information, the property was designed by McKim, Mead & White, the architecture firm behind the Washington Square Park Arch, the Harvard Club of New York and the Villard Houses (now part of the Lotte New York Palace Hotel). However, some commenters on the Old House Dreams website dispute that provenance. Whatever the case, the structure is a gorgeous example of the shingle style. With its vine-covered turrets, weathered wood siding and fieldstone accents, the façade looks straight out of a fairytale.
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Image Credit: Zillow At the time the residence went up for sale, it had been left largely untouched from its early days, according to the listing, with many original architectural elements still intact, including the hardwood flooring that runs throughout, a plethora of leaded and stained glass windows, a gaggle of built-ins and a whopping seven fireplaces. If project signage visible on Google Street View is any indication, the property underwent a renovation shortly after changing hands.
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Image Credit: Zillow While no doubt in need of updating (especially the kitchen), the new buyers certainly had some good bones to work with and the pad is sure to be exquisite now!
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Image Credit: Zillow The home’s 0.9-acre waterfront lot needed no improving, though! Awash in lush greenery, the bucolic parcel boasts a massive circular porch, a private beach, a large expanse of grass and views for days. And the “WeCrashed” production team made use of virtually all of it!
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Image Credit: Zillow On the show, the dwelling is purported to be situated on the sprawling grounds of a massive children’s camp owned by Rebekah’s cousin, where Neumann hosts his first-ever “Summer Camp” in episode three. In truth, the scenes involving the company event, which more closely resembled a music festival and which the real Adam described in the “WeWork” documentary as a “72-hour weekend rager,” were not shot anywhere near the home or Mamaroneck in general, but a good 50 miles away at the Star Lake Camp in Bloomingdale, N.J.
The production team completely revamped the 400-acre Star Lake for the Summer Camp scenes, transforming it into a vibrant Coachella-like environment teeming with colorfully-dressed millennials, multiple stages, hundreds of tents and even a psychedelic bus. In real life, the boisterous event was an annual affair for WeWork employees and, though alcohol flowed freely, attendance was mandatory with Neumann and his team (many of whom were called “CWeOs”) going so far as to force subordinates to wear tracking bracelets to ensure their presence at all of the talks, presentations and concerts offered. Work hard, play hard, indeed!
In contrast, the Mamaroneck house is presented as a calming retreat for Rebekah, a place for her to escape from the weekend debauchery throughout the episode. As such, the residence is made to seem quite remote and secluded thanks to strategic camera angles. In truth, the dwelling is enveloped by both the Orienta Beach Club and the Beach Point Club and is within walking distance to the many shops and restaurants that dot downtown Mamaroneck.
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Image Credit: Zillow The actual inside of the home appears to have also been used in the production, though very little of it can be seen in the episode, which is a shame, as I’m sure the camera would love those revamped interiors!