Tag Archives: historic

Central Park West (62nd-96th Streets)

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New York’s Central Park and the architecture along Central Park West have a symbiotic relationship – each enhances the other.

There’s no question that a park view multiplies the value and enjoyment of an apartment – and the grand architecture also adds to the views from within the park. (Incidentally, Central Park paths are lighted because Central Park West tenants complained that the unlit park was an unattractive black void in their nighttime views, according to Greensward Foundation’s “The Central Park.”)

The Upper West Side/Central park West Historic District extends from 62nd Street to 96th Street at a depth of from one building at its narrowest to more than two blocks at its widest. Within this area are some cherished New York architectural landmarks: iconic luxury apartment buildings such as the Century, San Remo, Majestic, Eldorado, Dakota and Bereford; several noteworthy places of worship; the American Museum of Natural History; and, along side streets, scores of row houses in brick and brownstone.

Central Park West is almost entirely residential, filled with grand, luxury apartments. The Dakota is preeminent among those residences, and “The Dakota – A History of the World’s Best-Known Apartment Building” is the preeminent history of this Central Park West icon. Noted architectural historian Andrew Alpern documents the building, its builder (and family!), the architect, the neighborhood, the architectural and historical context, and even the Dakota’s residents. Fascinating reading that illuminates not only The Dakota, but also the world of apartment living in New York City. I’m honored that he chose photos from the Dakota Apartments gallery to help illustrate the volume.

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Financial District

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The Financial District is where New York City’s architectural diversity started, and where it still flourishes thanks to preservation. From West Street east to Water Street, Cedar Street south to Battery Park, it seems that every other building is a past or future landmark. Nothing that I write here even comes close to doing the district justice.

Recycling seems to be a big part of the area’s preservation: Office buildings that might otherwise have been razed have been converted to condos, hotels and even schools. Notable examples include 21 West Street, Whitehall Building, Delmonico’s, Cipriani Club Residences, Bank of New York Building, Downtown by Philippe Starck, and Empire Apartments. I suppose that if you’re a top exec in the Financial District, it’s nice to be able to walk to work. But where do you shop for fresh food? I didn’t notice any supermarkets….

Photographers will find lots to snap – and lots of challenges. The “canyons” metaphor is so appropriate for the Wall Street area – tall buildings and very narrow streets: Some building facades are in almost perpetual shadow; some of the most interesting architectural details can only be seen from blocks away. Post-9/11 and Occupy Wall Street barricades limit your viewpoints. Last but not least, this is a huge tourist attraction, so resign yourself: A photo of the George Washington statue or the Bull at Bowling Green will include goofy strangers in sometimes weird poses.

NOTE: This gallery has 200 images.

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Ladies Mile

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The Ladies Mile Historic District – the heart of what was an even larger shopping district – ranges roughly from 15th Street to 24th Street, Sixth Avenue to Broadway. Retail “dry goods” giants of the 19th and 20th Centuries built palaces befitting their wares; most of the giants are now only ghosts, but some of the architecture has been preserved for New Yorker’s viewing (and even shopping) pleasure.

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TriBeCa Tour

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Though its main claim to fame in recent years is its film festival, TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal) is an amazing architectural showcase, encompassing five New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission-designated historic districts. Although the protected areas date back to the 1700s, recent restoration, reconstruction and renovation makes many blocks look new – only the styles are old.

Founded as a residential neighborhood, the neighborhood became a commercial center in the mid-1800s – greatly expanded in the early 1900s thanks to new IRT Seventh Avenue and Ninth Avenue (later demolished) subway lines. Fickle industry moved out in the mid-1900s, and by 1970 the neighborhood’s population was down to 370. Artists started moving in, sparking large-scale conversion of commercial space to residences – and sky-high rents that now exclude artists!

One of the striking features of TriBeCa is the imaginative and colorful use of brick – sometimes on a massive scale. The Verizon Building (6th Avenue & Walker Street) and 60 Hudson Street (former Verizon Headquarters) (Hudson and Worth Streets) are the most prominent examples. Other standouts are 451 Washington Street (at Watts Street), Greenwich Court (apartments) (Greenwich Street between Murray and Chambers Streets), American Express Horse Stables (Collister Street between Laight and Hubert Streets) and Powell Building (corner of Hudson and Franklin Streets).

You’ll see how architects paint rich textures by using bricks of different colors, sizes and bonds (layering patterns). Bottom line: After touring TriBeCa, you’ll no longer think of brick as a dull red building material.

The maps and reports linked below provide very detailed information about Tribeca’s architectural heritage:

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Bond Street – NOHO

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For a two-block stretch of New York real estate, cobblestone Bond Street packs a lot of architectural delights. Although Bond Street spans two landmark districts (NoHo Historic District and NoHo Historic District Extension), several high-priced condominium conversions on the street are anything but historic in appearance. Alas, landmark designation came in May 2008, after the original buildings had been demolished/rebuilt in modern styles.

The modern standouts in our photo gallery are numbers 25, 40, 41, 48 and 57 Bond Street; the “classics” are 670 Broadway, 1-5, 7-9, 24, and 54 Bond Street.

The cast green glass facade and white aluminum street-level filigree screen of 40 Bond are irresistible (to me). But directly across the street, 41 is impressively subdued monochromatic bluestone. Even the fire hydrant blends in. A few doors down, number 48’s grey granite facade is livened by the projection of random window panes – like giant glass teardrops.

At Bond Street’s western end, 670 Broadway’s brick and granite dates from 1873 and was originally Brooks Brothers’ home; across the street, 1-5 Bond Street is white cast iron construction with a Mansard roof. Just east of Lafayette Street, Gene Frankel Theatre resides at 24 Bond Street. This is the street’s playful element, with gilt dancers cavorting across and up three of the building’s six stories. (Robert Mapplethorpe’s studio was here 1972-1989.) At the Bowery end of Bond Street, number 54 is another cast iron building, the former Bond Street Savings Bank.

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Puck Building – NoLita

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The Puck Building – named for the magazine that originally had offices and printing presses here – was built in two sections: the north (shorter, Houston Street) end in 1886 and the south end seven years later, in 1893.

The massive structure was among the largest built in what was then the printing/publishing district, designed in the German variation of Romanesque Revival. However, the building’s chief architectural distinction is two gilt-covered statues of Puck, Shakespeare’s character (from “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”): The larger on the NE corner, a smaller version over the Lafayette Street entrance.

At this writing, the building’s cornice is being rebuilt to hide a penthouse recently (December 2011) approved by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Puck Building Vital Statistics
  • Location: 293 Lafayette Street at E Houston Street
  • Year completed: 1886 and 1893
  • Architect: Albert and Herman Wagner
  • Floors: 9
  • Style: Romanesque Revival
  • New York City Landmark: 1983
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1983
Puck Building Suggested Reading

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Discover New York Architecture

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New York City has nearly a million buildings, erected over a span of four centuries in a bewildering (and fascinating) palette of styles. Yet most New Yorkers and visitors are oblivious to the city’s architectural riches. That’s not a criticism – just the observation that New York is so fast-paced, people rarely have a spare moment to appreciate the art and science of our built environment.

Here’s another observation: New York City has hundreds of museums of every description. But the Big Apple could be considered a museum itself: A 301-square-mile museum of architecture, where the exhibits change daily and reflect 400 years of development. Our homes, buildings, bridges, tunnels, subways and parks are fascinating works, accessible to all. Take the time to look around – and up and down – and you’ll discover a mosaic of history, art, and science in every borough.

If you are a New Yorker, you probably live or work just a short walk from some architectural treasure – possibly just minutes from an historic district filled with landmarks. If you’re a visitor, then your hotel is probably close to a landmark, or may itself be historic. To enjoy this wealth, all you need are your feet and your eyes. Camera is optional but recommended. As noted above, the exhibits change daily – your favorite building or park could be changed or demolished tomorrow, so capture it today. You can collect buildings, the way bird-watchers collect species.

This site is the start of what I hope will be a layman’s guide to and sampler of New York architecture: The photo galleries and related articles are meant to entice. As a layman’s guide, NewYorkitecture.com is not heavy on architectural jargon, but the site will be developing a modest beginner’s course on architectural appreciation. You won’t exactly learn architecture, but you’ll learn the differences between a column and a pilaster, and how to distinguish Gothic from Romanesque. At this writing, of course, the site is limited. I’ll be adding to it every week, so it will probably be worth your while to come back every week.

The navigation at the top of the screen is the most obvious way to get around – categorized to make it easier to follow. The home screen photos are linked to the ten most recent image galleries – just click to visit. You can also use the previous/next links in each gallery to explore another subject.

I include parks in this site because they are all designed – what I call “Parkitecture” – not just undeveloped land.

Enjoy the photo galleries! When you open a gallery, the slide show starts automatically. Click the icon next to “full screen” for a more dramatic view; click Play button in the bottom left corner to resume the slideshow. If you prefer, you can also use your keyboard left-arrow and right-arrow keys to go back and forth. When you’re in full-screen mode, the up and down arrows control the caption and carousel ribbon at the bottom of the screen. Press the [Esc] key to exit full-screen mode.

So jump in, explore, have fun. Then put on your most comfortable walking shoes and meet New York’s fabulous architecture in person!

If you are an out-of-town visitor to New York City, welcome! Take a look at the Guides section for helpful info.

If you find that the architecture bug has bitten you – beware, there is no antidote – you will need a better guide. The best guide, IMHO, is “ AIA Guide To New York City ” by Norval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon. (Oxford University Press, New York.) The 1,055-page fifth edition includes 955 pages of maps, photos and detailed block-by-block, building-by-building commentary on virtually every architecturally significant structure within the five boroughs. The book even notes significant demolitions! There are subject and address indexes, a glossary of architectural terms, even touring and photography tips. You can use the book as a walking tour guide, as a reference book, or as a history book of sorts (read about real estate development battles, zoning law trades, etc.). The authors’ scholarship is matched by their wit, so you’ll be entertained as well as educated. The “AIA” in the title, by the way, stands for American Institute of Architects.

Suggested Reading: NewYorkitecture.com is intended as a recreational site – exploring New York City’s architecture just for the fun of it. If you want to dig deeper, here’s a page of excellent research sites: Web Resources. If you’d rather learn from books you can hold, here’s a short list of excellent references: Favorite Books.

About NewYorkitecture.com

profile31 The “man behind the curtain” is me, Ken Grant, a retired travel industry journalist and web producer/programmer.

When I found myself with time on my hands, I resumed an old interest – photography. That led to going around town snapping pictures of places I knew as a kid (we moved around a lot), and that rekindled a fascination with architecture. Architecture fills one of our most basic needs – shelter – with beauty, utility and economy. Every building is a unique expression of that art and science, and many are wonders to behold. Within a month I realized that I just had to share my finds with others.

But, truth be told, I’m not an expert on architecture: I’m a gourmand, not a gourmet in this respect.

Tech notes: I’ve used six cameras in preparation of this site: Canon G5, Canon SX110 IS, OlympusSZ-10, Canon SX40, Canon Rebel T3i, and Canon 5D mark iii. The Canon 5D optics, speed and tech features leave the others in the dust – but is incredibly heavy. I’m now lugging 20 pounds of gear. But I miss the SX40, for its extreme zoom range of 24mm-840mm (35mm equivalent). That let me shoot whole facades from close in, or zoom in on a 20th-story gargoyle without carrying and changing lenses. Many galleries include High Dynamic Range (HDR) images – photos that merge three exposures to gain greater highlight and shadow detail. In these images, you may see ghost images of people and vehicles that moved between exposures. This is intentional. I also use Adobe’s Lightroom instead of HDR to improve the photos. In addition to saving more shadow and highlight detail, Lightroom lets me correct perspective (keeps verticals vertical).

Privacy Policy

NewYorkitecture.com does not collect any personal information. Links in NewYorkitecture.com may identify this site as the traffic source, but will not identify you as an individual. (Of course if you jump to a site where you have an account – say Amazon.com – that site will probably recognize you as a returning visitor.)

NewYorkitecture.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Terms & Conditions

NewYorkitecture.com exercises reasonable care in linking to other sites, but cannot be responsible for the content of other sites.

Except where noted otherwise, all photography and writing is my own. You are welcome to enjoy and quote text from NewYorkitecture.com; credit would be appreciated.

I’ve invested a great deal of time and energy in creating these photos. I’m quite happy to share my discoveries with you in this site – and without ads! But I do ask that you respect my copyright and not re-use my photos without permission. Thank you!

You may order photos – digital or prints – on the Buy Photos page.

Fire Houses

Bronx, Brooklyn, Collections, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, , , ,

What’s a fire house? Just a dorm with a garage, right? No way!! It’s where New York’s Bravest hang their helmets while pursuing arguably the most exciting career in the city. It’s where a kid might loiter on a summer afternoon: Waiting for the bells to summon firefighters to another blaze, watching the trucks roar to life, hearing the sirens and bells warn mere mortals to clear the way. (Well, fire trucks used to have shiny brass bells, and if you asked really nicely, the firemen would sometimes let you ring the bell.)

That excitement and romantic view of firemen must have inspired New York architects, because they designed some really awesome fire houses!

The elaborate stations of the early 1900s came about as New York City transitioned from volunteer corps to a paid professional force. The FDNY had its own architect, which for many years was Napoleon LeBrun. His crowning work was the station for Engine Company 31, a Loire Valley chateaux-style confection now used as television studios.

Incidentally – when you see a tower attached to or sprouting from a firehouse, that’s where they hang their hoses to dry between fires.

This photo gallery is but a small sample; you might also enjoy the “Ten House” (Engine Company 10/Ladder Company 10) website – it’s a portal into dozens of FDNY websites: www.fdnytenhouse.com/fdnylinks.htm

Gansevoort / Meatpacking District

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The Gansevoort / Meatpacking District is tucked under Chelsea – just a block downtown from Chelsea Market: from 14th Street south to Horatio Street, Hudson Street to Tenth Avenue. The warehouse loading docks are mostly empty and quiet; high fashion boutiques have edged out most of the wholesale meat suppliers. (Navigating the cobblestone streets must be murder in high heels!)

Meat packers were once supplied by rail – Gansevoort Street is the southern terminus of The High Line, the abandoned elevated rail line now turned into a park. (Also see High Line Park gallery.)

One of the architectural standouts is The Standard Hotel – which straddles The High Line on massive supports. The hotel entrance is in a bright yellow cylinder – there’s no sign anywhere to tell you it’s a hotel. I asked the doorman about that – he explained: “This is not your standard hotel.”

Gansevoort / Meatpacking District Recommended Reading

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Chelsea

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Chelsea began in 1750 as a single estate, extending from what is now 28th Street south to 19th Street, and from the Hudson River east to Eighth Avenue. Now in its third century of subdivision, the neighborhood’s definition has expanded south to 14th Street and east to Seventh Avenue.

Chelsea’s commercial and residential makeup has shifted like the tides: Breweries, warehouses, factories, film studios, theaters, town houses and tenements have come and gone; multiple rail lines, both street level and elevated, brought goods in and out (the last remnant is now The High Line park).

Contemporary Chelsea has luxury housing, shops and art galleries – overflow from SoHo. And although the neighborhood boasts three historic districts – Chelsea Historic District, Chelsea Historic District Extension, and West Chelsea Historic District – the neighborhood has a tremendous variety of architectural styles. You’ll find modern landmarks such as the IAC Building (2007) and 100 Eleventh Avenue (2009) just two blocks from the Gothic Revival style General Theological Seminary (1883).

For NewYorkitecture.com’s purposes, we are dividing this area into two parts: West Chelsea, the area between W 28th Street and W 15th Street west of The High Line; Chelsea, from W 28th Street south to W 15th Street and The High Line east to Seventh Avenue.

Among the Chelsea landmarks that are outside the Landmarks Preservation Commission-designated historic district are four notable whole-block structures.
Chelsea Market, the interconnected buildings between W 15th and W 16th Streets and Ninth to Tenth Avenues, is the former Nabisco plant where Oreos were invented and produced (now that’s historic!). An extension from Tenth to Eleventh Avenues is connected by a bridge. Today the buildings house stores, restaurants, offices and television production studios – including, appropriately, The Food Network. See more on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Market.

Just across Ninth Avenue from Chelsea Market is Port of New York Authority Commerce Building/ Union Inland Terminal No. 1. This is the one-time headquarters of the Port Authority (before they moved into the World Trade Center). Conceived as a warehouse/distribution center at a time when Hudson River piers were active and rail lines served Tenth Avenue, the building is now offices, and was purchased by Google in 2010. Some interesting background at: http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4949&page=73.

London Terrace Gardens apartments is 14 interconnected buildings between W 23rd and W 24th Streets, from Ninth to Tenth Avenue. When built in 1930, the complex was the world’s largest apartment building. The set has been broken up – the 10 inner buildings and the four avenue-facing towers have separate owners. See more at: http://www.londonterrace.com/building/history-photography.htm.

The Fashion Institute of Technology campus occupies eight buildings on two blocks: from Seventh (Fashion) Avenue to Eighth Avenue, W 26th Street to W 28th Street. The campus was built over the period of 1958 to 2001. See the Wikipedia article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_Institute_of_Technology.

Chelsea Recommended Reading

Also see High Line Park gallery.

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