Much of Midtown was still empty, but Mr. Ravitch was not the type to work from home. Until the end, even as a younger generation of business people viewed the full-time office as optional — along with Manhattan itself — Mr. Ravitch remained moored to a physical place. Mr. Ravitch’s office is now empty, too. Many American cities find themselves without patrons who feel their own worth and purpose tied to their hometowns’ fortunes. Mr. Ravitch’s death was not just the end of an era in New York — it also laid bare the vacuum that American cities have to fill.

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Persons: Richard Ravitch, Ravitch, —, Ravitch’s Locations: Manhattan, Midtown, New York City, New York