Real estate developers, along with architects, define the look of a city, and the empire and legacy of William Zeckendorf Sr. (1905-1976), his son William Jr., and grandsons Arthur and William Lie continue to endure and impact New York. These are the Zeckendorf condominiums (read about them here) at One Irving Place, as seen from Union Square in the evening with the Con Ed tower. I have photographed these towers before for this website, but I have not shown all four in one photo. Real estate developers are typically not seen in a very positive light by the average citizen; rather, they are resented by many for their wealth and the power they have over the primary assets of a city – the land and buildings themselves. However, they are absolutely necessary to the city’s infrastructure, growth, and reconstruction, and when there is a good design aesthetic and sensitivity to appropriate architecture, they can be a force for the good.

William Zeckendorf, Sr. is considered one of America’s foremost developers and has worked with architects I.M. Pei and Le Corbusier. He is credited with projects which were seminal in the redevelopment of troubled areas, such as these towers in Union Square and the Columbia at 96th Street on the Upper West Side. His most notable transaction was taking an option on 17 acres along the East River to build a dream city. Unable to exercise his option, and seeing the city about to lose the United Nations because it was unable to find a location for it, Zeckendorf called Mayor William O’Dwyer, who persuaded Rockefeller to buy the land for $8.5 million and then donate it to the U.N. In 1965, his company Webb & Knapp collapsed and went into bankruptcy. The family business was rebuilt with William Jr. at the helm.

Style and personality also play a factor in the public’s view of a real estate mogul. Donald Trump, for example, is seen by many as a pompous, arrogant, egotistical media hound with a celebrity lifestyle surrounded by supermodels. Combine that with buildings known for their veneer, and one could understand why architecture critic Paul Goldberger once referred to his work as the “triumph of image over substance”…

My recent interest in the evening and night sky prompted this photo. It is remarkable how out of touch with the natural world city dwellers can be – there is a serious dearth of knowledge in subjects like plants, animals, insects, astronomy, etc. Recently, I have noticed some very brightly lit heavenly bodies, however, I was not able to find anyone who knew what these objects were (by studying some online star maps, I was able to confirm my suspicion that Venus was one of them). The photo was taken at sunset of the Bobst Library, which houses over 3 million volumes and is one of the largest academic libraries in the US.

This massive red sandstone edifice on Washington Square South was designed by Philip Johnson for NYU (New York University) and was completed in 1972. It has been steeped in controversy since its construction:
1) To begin with, there were substantial delays in its construction.
2) There has been much criticism of its bulky, monolithic form and how it towers over Washington Square Park. The work of Johnson himself has been the subject of much criticism.
3) The library was named after Elmer Holmes Bobst, who made a $6 million dollar contribution. There was embarrassment for the University, however, when it was learned that Bobst was a Nixon supporter, had been accused of a corrupt contribution to Nixon, and made antisemitic remarks.
4) In 2003, Bobst made big news with two suicides in one month – students jumped from the open-air catwalks to the marble floor below.
5) Steven Stanzak, an NYU student unable to afford his housing costs, became homeless and took up residence in the basement of the Bobst Library for eight months from 2003-2004…

One of the great things in the city is to happen upon a juxtaposition of architecturally and/or historically important structures. It is surprising that we can still be awed and not jaded, even when exposed daily to vistas and landmarks. I think most New Yorkers still really do appreciate the things they see daily, such as crossing a bridge by car or subway. I always enjoy being in a part of town I do not frequent; it gives me that sense of newness one has as a visitor.

This photo was taken on Fifth Avenue. In the background, we have, of course, the Empire State Building, clad in Indiana limestone and granite. In the foreground, at 29th Street and Fifth, you have the Marble Collegiate Church, a Romanesque/Gothic building constructed from white marble, a contemporary of Grace and Trinity churches (the term collegiate refers to the practice of churches sharing ministers as colleagues). Apart from having such a prime address with photo op potential, this church has a very interesting history. Marble Collegiate Church is the oldest Protestant organization in North America. The congregation was founded as the Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in 1628; the building dates to 1854. Read about it here. The church is perhaps best known for pastor of 52 years, Norman Vincent Peale, the highly influential author of 46 books, including the bestseller The Power of Positive Thinking. Granite, limestone, marble – I love stone. And some things are just etched in it…