It was appropriate on this magnificent spring day that someone had placed a flower in Gandhi’s left hand. This bronze of Mohandas Gandhi by Kantilal B. Patel was installed on a traffic island on the southwest corner of Union Square Park in 1986, one year after a major renovation of the park. I have always been moved by Gandhi, and this statue always brings his life to mind. A reminder of his calm and resolve in the face of adversity is perfect for one of the busiest areas in New York City. Visit this small sanctuary should you get a chance…
- Category Archives Architecture
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Gandhi in Union Square
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Insuring a View
When you view this city at a distance, it gives an almost shocking sense of how dense and vast it really is, vertically as well as horizontally, and how beauty has emerged from chaos. This view, from the observation deck of the Empire State Building, reveals details in the top floors of buildings that you can never see from the street. Sometimes architects started out with Gothic at the ground floors which morphed into Art Deco at the top.
The two which are brightly lit up are from the very early days of skyscrapers, 1883 for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Building (at right) and 1928 for the New York Life Insurance Building. BTW, this photo is from our archive, since our memory card failed this evening…
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ESB Straight Up
The most iconic symbol of NYC, the Empire State Building, is rendered in pure art deco. The closer you are to it, the less you can see of it as a whole. It dissolves into an enormous looming abstraction, and the day’s sky multiplies itself reflecting from all the windows. Every night, it’s lit with different colors, frequently to symbolize a particular cause, special interest, or holiday. To see the listing, click here.
