Tag Archives: architecture

Western Queens

Collections, Queens, , , , , , , , , ,

Western Queens includes the mostly residential neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, Ravenswood, Hunters Point, Ditmars, Steinway, and Sunnyside.

Until relatively recently, you couldn’t accuse this region of having a skyline; but then in 1989 the Citicorp Building went up, followed by (mostly) green glass residential, hotel and commercial buildings all along the East River corridor.

Google Map

Faces of Manhattan

Architecture, Collections, Manhattan, , , ,

Architectural ornament takes many forms – from modest moldings to elaborate scenes and figures within a pediment or atop a cornice. One of the most delightful ornaments is the mascaron or mask, which might be realistically human or fantastic or grotesque. These faces are generally terra cotta, and may be repeating (the same face used two or more times) or unique. They add character to buildings around the borough….

Arch

Architecture, ,

ARCH: A load-bearing device used to span voids in walls or other structures. The arch works by redirecting its load so that the supporting material is under compressive stress instead of shear or tensile stress. Most building materials are many times stronger in compression than in tension or shear, so arches help designers build taller, lighter structures.

Arches are so important, one is tempted to believe that arch is the root of the word architect.

Mere coincidence. Arch is from the Latin arcus – arrow; architect is from the Greek architekton – master builder, according to my Webster’s. That’s altogether appropriate, because the Romans gave us the arch, but the Greeks gave us architecture as a science and profession.

Arches come in many forms, but the most important distinction, from the standpoint of architectural style, is whether the peak of the arch (crown) is curved (Roman, Romanesque, Romanesque Revival) or pointed (Gothic, Gothic Revival). There are also flat arches (having very slightly elevated crowns). Join a series of arches end-to-end and you have a gallery; join a series of arches side-to-side and you have a vault; join a series of arches rotated through 180 degrees and you have a dome.

Here are a few examples from structures in New York City.

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.

Google Map

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.

Google Map