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Union Square

Collections, Manhattan, , , , ,

Union Square is ever-changing, though many surrounding buildings have stayed the same.

At one time known for political rallies and the annual May Day rally, the park was overrun by druggies in the ’70s. Union Square has since been cleaned up – figuratively and literally – with new fences, new landscaping and new pavement from East 14th Street to East 17th Street. The peddlers are still out in force, though their products are now veggies, art and souvenirs instead of drugs.

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Statues

Architecture, Collections, Parks & Monuments,

Statues are part of the “built environment” of architecture; they help to define and decorate our spaces. Some statues are better known than their locations; some are so obscure you’ll only see them by accident. New York has plenty of both categories, which we will include. However, we haven’t gone on a statue-hunting expedition – these photos are incidental to other categories, so this gallery will continue to expand over time.

We’re using an arbitrary definition of statue here – a representation of a real person. Thus, we include Hans Christian Anderson but exclude Alice in Wonderland (who lives happily ever after within the Sculptures gallery).

Sculpture

Architecture, Collections, Parks & Monuments,

Sculpture, like statues (see separate gallery), help define and decorate our environment; sculpture complements architecture.

What’s the difference between sculpture and statue? Completely arbitrary: For our purposes, statues are likenesses of real, identifiable people; sculptures are not. Alice In Wonderland lives happily ever after, right here with sculpture; Hans Christian Andersen is with the statues.

This is by no means a closed gallery – we’re just getting started! If there’s a particular piece that you think should be here ASAP, please let us know with a comment. Thanks!

Gramercy Park and Vicinity

Collections, Manhattan, , ,

Gramercy Park is a private park between E20th and E21st Streets, ending Irving Place and beginning Lexington Avenue. The park is restricted to tenants of the surrounding buildings; a high fence and locked gates keep it that way.

Much of the surrounding area is part of the Gramercy Park Historic District. The park itself is closed to the public, so this gallery is devoted to the beautiful architecture.

Enjoy! And visit!

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New York City Architecture – Web Resources

Architecture, Guides,

NewYorkitecture.com is intended as a recreational site – exploring the city’s buildings, parks and infrastructure just for the fun of it. But lots of people have been documenting the same subject for years, with more serious intent. So, if you want to dig deeper (metaphorically, or course) into New York City Architecture, here are some excellent Internet resources:

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/home/home.shtml
If you’re interested in classic architecture, “they don’t build ‘em like this anymore” structures, here’s your shortcut to finding them. The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission “is responsible for identifying and designating the City’s landmarks and the buildings in the City’s historic districts. The Commission also regulates changes to designated buildings.”
The commission has a handy Glossary of Architectural Terms – www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/glossary/glossary.shtml – just in case I throw out some obscure term without explaining it (shame on me!).

City Realty: Cityrealty.com
I discovered this site by fortunate accident, while researching some addresses along Riverside Drive. Typing the address or building name in Google almost always returned references to CityRealty.com – which had detailed reports on the building in question. Architectural style, architect, year built, number of floors, famous residents, etc. Even architectural ratings and reviews!
Their secret is Carter B. Horsley, who spent 36 years as a reporter/editor covering architecture and real estate for The New York Times and The New York Post.

SkyscraperPage.com: Skyscraperpage.com
If you love skyscrapers, you’ll love this site! They have a huge database of skyscrapers around the world, including interactive maps, illustrations and fact sheets. And check out their store, for one-of-a-kind puzzles and posters. Check out their interactive NYC map: skyscraperpage.com/cities/maps/?cityID=8

NewYorkArchitecture.info: www.newyorkarchitecture.info/
NewYorkArchitecture.info is aimed more at people who are in the trade – architects, contractors, realtors, etc. Includes news and progress reports for new construction in the city.

GlassSteelAndStone.com: www.glasssteelandstone.com/
Glass Steel and Stone is another site for building trade professionals, but with a global perspective – you can check on buildings around the world.

Museum of the City of New York: www.mcny.org/
The Museum of the City of New York covers all things New York – with significant exhibitions on architecture and city planning. The museum also has lectures and tours to complement the exhibits – check and book early, they sell out quickly.

NYC-Architecture.com: nyc-architecture.com/
nyc-architecture.com contains news and reviews of historic and contemporary buildings of note, with archives by architectural style and building types (among other categories).

Buildipedia.com: Buildipedia.com
This is another building trades website, where you can become immersed in architecture’s state of the art – trends, best practices, etc., plus news of who’s building what, and where.

Emporis.com: emporis.com/city/newyorkcity-ny-usa
Emporis (formerly skyscrapers.com) is a global buildings database company – listing 403,420 buildings in 190 countries. If you have the name and/or address of a specific structure, you’ll find not only the architects, but also the engineers, suppliers, and contractors involved; when construction started and finished; the construction type, architectural style, height, number of floors, intended use – and photos. The link above brings you to the New York City page.

Wikimapia.org: wikimapia.org/#lat=40.7048512&lon=-74.0117115&z=18&l=0&m=b
This site is a Google map mashup that gives you building-by-building details for many of the city’s historic (and some not-historic) districts. Zoom in to see individual building outlines, traced around Google satellite images; click for building details, which often includes history, statistics, photos and links to the emporis.com database and/or Wikipedia. Amazing site, highly recommended. The link above puts you right into the heart of the Financial District.

Columbia University – Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library: library.columbia.edu/indiv/avery/guides/nycbuild.html
This is a site devoted to researching New York City Buildings. For the serious architectural scholar or historian.

City Island

Bronx, Collections, ,

Although part of the Bronx, City Island has a distinct personality that seems imported from New England, reflected in the island’s architecture.

City Island Avenue is the island’s main north-south thoroughfare; side streets are one or two blocks long east and west. Rule of thumb: The most interesting homes are at the ends of the street, overlooking the water.

It may seem that the most interesting homes are all at the southern end of the island; not necessarily. I must confess, the sun was getting low in the sky, forcing me to rush a bit – I didn’t explore every block.

Getting There: Take the number 6 to Pelham Bay (end of the line), transfer to the Bx29 bus, which goes all the way to the southern end of the island.

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The Battery / Battery Park

Collections, Manhattan, , , ,

When you step out of the subway or off the ferry at the Battery, you step right into history – four centuries’ worth. This is where Nieuw Amsterdam was founded in 1625.

Much of the current Battery Park didn’t exist then – when built (1811), Castle Clinton was an islet several hundred feet off the tip of Manhattan; over the years, landfill extended the shoreline west, south and east.

Castle Clinton never fired a shot in anger: New York harbor fortifications were so formidable that the British in 1812 chose easier targets – like Washington, D.C. Architecturally, the fort is interesting because (like Castle Williams on Governors Island) it is round, not star-shaped (like Fort Jay, also on Governors Island, or Fort Wood – the base of the Statue of Liberty). Currently Castle Clinton has a small visitor center/book store and ticket sales for Statue of Liberty tours.

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Water Street Corridor

Collections, Manhattan, ,

The Water Street Corridor – a roughly two-block wide swath from The Battery to Fulton Street – is relatively new construction. Most of the buildings were put up in the late ’60s or after.

That 40-some-odd-year span includes quite a variety of architecture, so you won’t be bored in this district. On the other hand, there are so many landmark buildings in plain sight, you’ll be constantly tempted to wander outside the district.

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South Street Seaport

Collections, Manhattan, , , ,

While there are many preserved and rehabilitated buildings from the 1800s, the South Street Seaport neighborhood has been turned into a tourist mall, where shopping and fast food have drowned out the museum aspects of the district. Time will tell whether the museum’s new ownership – the Museum of the City of New York – will make a difference. But if you get away from waterfront mall, you will find interesting architecture from the days when sailing ships regularly docked along the East River in lower Manhattan.

NOTE: These photos were taken before Superstorm Sandy. Much of the waterfront was damaged, and the Pier 17 complex is now history.

The seafood restaurants could once boast the freshest fish in New York City – they were next door to the Fulton Fish Market. But with the fish market relocated to the Bronx, that distinction has been lost.

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