The Nine embarked upon a programme of urban renewal, adorning their new cathedral, building the city's civic palace, the vast piazza that spreads like a scallop shell before it, and the palatial hospital that still functioned in recent times.

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At the end of this year, Simmons is taking what he sees as the next giant step in his transformation: The Queens native is trading his New York City apartment for a palace in Beverly Hills and building office space just minutes away.

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The Helmsleys' real estate empire in New York at one time included the Empire State Building, the Helmsley Palace hotel, the Helmsley Building at the foot of Park Avenue and the Tudor City apartment complex in addition to several other hotel properties.

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