The Church of the Transfiguration is one of the most famous parishes of the Episcopal Church in the United States, known throughout the country as “The Little Church Around the Corner.” For 150 years, it has been a very visible worshiping community in an urban setting which has welcomed all classes, all races, and particularly all those marginalized by society for whatever reason, as were actors and actresses, who had theretofore been on the fringes of both society and the Episcopal Church. It also has stressed service to the poor and oppressed from its earliest days.

The founder, Dr. Houghton, sponsored bread lines and worked vigorously for the abolition of slavery and harbored runaway slaves. In 1870, when the rector of a neighboring church refused to perform a funeral for an actor named George Holland, he suggested the “little church around the corner,” where “they do that sort of thing.” Fellow actor Joseph Jefferson, who was trying to arrange Holland’s burial, exclaimed, “God bless the little church around the corner!” and the church began a long-standing association with people of the theater. For more information, including a history, I direct you to their site.

The church, at 1 E. 29th Street, was built in 1849. The church is set back behind a garden – the atmosphere is one of an English parish church in the countryside. Currently, the property is undergoing extensive renovations. More photos here…

The Eagle Warehouse stands at 28 Old Fulton Street in the Fulton Ferry Landing area of Brooklyn (between Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO). The photo shows the Romanesque Revival arched entrance.

This massive medieval structure was built in 1893 (as the Eagle Warehouse and Storage Company) by architect Frank Freeman on the site of the old Brooklyn Eagle building (in its construction, the old three-story Brooklyn Eagle press room building was kept). The Brooklyn Eagle was a daily newspaper published in Brooklyn for 114 years (1841 to 1955). At one point, it was the most popular afternoon paper in the United States. Walt Whitman was its editor for two years; however, he was forced to leave when his antislavery views clashed with the paper’s management.

The Eagle Warehouse was converted to condominium lofts in 1980. There is a large clock at the top of the building – its glass face is the window of one of the lofts. The Eagle Warehouse is a prominent landmark – check it out if you are in DUMBO…

I had a difficult time selecting an image to represent this site, so please take a moment and click here for a series of 8 photos on one of the most remarkably unexpected spaces in the city. After all, isn’t the very concept of a Lodge something which we associate with the suburbs?

I was completely amazed to find a place like this in Manhattan at 71 W. 23rd Street. This building is the New York Grand Lodge Headquarters for the Freemasons – over 60 lodges meet here in 12 stately rooms with pipe organs in every room. The Masons actually own two buildings here (see building history here). The one facing 23rd is an office building, and rental income helps support the actual Lodge building, which faces 24th Street. A long portico provides access from 23rd Street. They have a two-story, auditorium-style Grand Lodge room which seats 1200 people.

This two-century-old secret society has seen a slow decline in membership, so it has become a little more interested in attracting new members. They have a history of doing philanthropic work, including underwriting medical research. Their members include many famous individuals: 14 presidents (among them George Washington), Ben Franklin, Beethoven and Mozart, Clark Gable, Houdini, and Count Basie. Tours are available Monday through Friday, so go there and check it out…

About this photo: This was taken during the weekend of Open House New York. For more information, see their website here.

I think of this as the Pan Am building – its name during my first years in NYC. Designed by Emery Roth, Walter Gropius, and Pietro Belluschi, it was the world’s largest commercial office building when it opened in 1963. The Pan Am building is located at 200 Park Avenue above Grand Central’s north shed. A controversial building – many have found it to be very unappealing, dominating the skyline from many nearby vantage points and occluding views such as that of the New York Central Building (now the Helmsley Building at 230 Park Ave.)

It is perhaps best known for its helicopter service (it has a rooftop helipad). There was much excitement about their 7-minute ($7) flight to JFK airport, offered between 1965 and 1968 and reopened in 1977. However, service was closed after an accident that killed five people – broken landing gear caused a helicopter to tip over, killing four people waiting to board and a fifth person on the street with part of a rotor blade which had flown loose. Click here for a link showing early photos of the building with its iconic logo, including the helicopter service. And check out these photos showing stewardesses in uniforms from the glory days of aviation, when flying was a luxury and planes were not seen as a bus with wings, as they are today. More photos and an interesting article here.

In 1981, the building was sold to Met Life. When Pan Am ceased operations in 1991, the Pan Am logo was removed and replaced with that of Met Life. Of course, revisionism rears its head after a loss (see this article from the NY Times). Apparently many now are less negative regarding the building now that time has passed…

In reading articles for this post, I came across an astounding story regarding the Citicorp Center. Built in 1978, this tower is one of the tallest in Manhattan and is considered one of the most important postwar structures in NYC. The building’s unusual design, with a nine story stilt-style base, allows it to cantilever over St. Peter’s Lutheran Church (Citicorp built a new church to replace the original, which had occupied much of the block).

Very interesting, but here’s the real story – unknown to the general public until 1995, nearly 20 years later, unauthorized changes were made to the construction (bolted joints rather than welded). During construction, questions from an architecture student (about the stilt-style construction) prompted the structural engineer, LeMessurier, to recalculate the effects of the change to bolts. He discovered a fatal flaw – the design could not withstand the force of a 70 mph wind, an event which was predicted to occur on average every sixteen years. And, coincidentally a hurricane was approaching NYC. After contemplating suicide (really), he had meetings with the client – emergency repairs were made with workers working around the clock. Steel plates were welded over all 200 bolted joints to reinforce the structure. Read this excellent 1995 New Yorker article about the entire debacle here.

By the way, the distinctive angled roof was originally designed for energy-saving solar panels, which were never installed.