Architecture | New York Daily Photo

Category Archives Architecture
The San Remo

Posted on July 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Nothing defines New York City like money and real estate, especially in recent years, where prices have shot through the roof. Real estate is on everyone’s mind, whether a rental, a 7-figure coop, or a condo. And nothing defines real estate in NYC like being on or near a park – particularly Central Park.

Many upscale apartment buildings are known by name to the public, such as the San Remo, one of the three most prestigious buildings on the Upper West Side (the other two being the Dakota and the Beresford). Of course, all three are on Central Park West. Their profiles are unmistakable and can be seen from many areas in the park, where all the photos for this post were taken. Many celebrities reside (or have resided) at the San Remo: Steven Spielberg, Donna Karan, Steve Jobs, Demi Moore, Dustin Hoffman, Bono, Steve Martin, Bruce Willis, Rita Hayworth…

Posted on July 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Homes and 'Hoods. Bookmark the permalink.
Evening Arch

Posted on July 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The Washington Square Arch is one of my favorite NYC icons. It stands at the foot of Fifth Avenue on the north side of Washington Square Park. It always reminds me of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, after which is was modeled.
The arch recently got a much-needed renovation – it was in serious disrepair. It is now quite beautiful – completely cleaned and restored with banks of high-power lights from below and the sides.

This was shot in the late evening. At night it really glows – it is one of the nicest illuminated monuments in NYC. Unlike Paris, New York has few fountains or monuments, and a well-lit one like this is even rarer. I would highly recommend seeing it at night if you get the chance.

Posted on July 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, New York at Night, Parks, Scenic NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
One Fifth Avenue

Posted on June 18, 2006 by Brian Dubé

We noticed the Sanyo dirigible passing over One Fifth Avenue yesterday as we walked by the Washington Square Arch, and we thought you might enjoy the combination of elements. One Fifth is the name of the building which is the only skyscraper (or near to skyscraper) in the Village, and it really stands out as so much higher than everything around it.

Built in the twenties as a hotel, it is now a very desirable residence. The original hotel restaurant has been restored – it has a wonderful old-fashioned lobby. I remember going there before the change over, when there was a piano player and always a cabaret singer in an tight sequined evening dress, the type of woman the main character falls in love with in the old movies. It is the first building at the beginning of Fifth Avenue, hence the address of One Fifth…

Posted on June 18, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Scenic NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
Cooper Union

Posted on June 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Cooper Union is an institution which has been important in American history – Abraham Lincoln spoke and debated here many times, and they often hold political debates and discussions in the Great Hall of the building nowadays too, along with concerts and other cultural services to the city. The beginnings of the labor union movement and women’s right to vote also found their forum here.

It was founded by a philanthropist during the Civil War era. It is a fixture of the downtown Astor Place area, the students who attend flavoring the surrounding area of the East Village. As a college, it is very unique – it is completely tuition free to all the students; however, they must pass its very rigorous admissions process. There are only three areas of study: art, architecture, and engineering. The brooding dark brown Victorian building exerts an influence all around it, politically, aesthetically, and socially. Read more on Wikipedia…

Posted on June 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Art and Sculpture, Education, NYC's History. Bookmark the permalink.
LVMH Tower

Posted on June 16, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Considered one of the most beautiful buildings in NYC, this skyscraper at 19 E 57th Street between Madison and Fifth was built by a well-known Paris architect, Christian de Portzamparc for LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey), the luxury goods company, owned by Bernard Arnault. Within narrow parameters the architect was able to construct a translucent, light-filled, reflecting glass tower that unfolds as it ascends, like a lily.

The two upper floors are one room, called the Magic Room, which is by invitation only, where special events, fashion shows, and parties are held. It has a predominantly blue tone created by the color of the treated glass and reflections of the sky and affords views all the way to the Hudson River. We have not yet been invited, but we live in hope. The materials of the building, glass and concrete, are treated like precious substances, chased, decorated, and textured like elements in expensive jewelry…

Posted on June 16, 2006 by Brian Dubé

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Canyon Land

Posted on June 12, 2006 by Brian Dubé

At the bottom-most tip of Manhattan begins a long stretch of skyscraper canyons created by the narrow shafts of space between rows of extremely tall buildings. New York City is built on layers of bedrock. Manhattan schist is the most common and is what allows skyscrapers to be built. In lower Manhattan and midtown, where the schist is close to the surface, you find concentrations of tall buildings (in other areas like the village, the bedrock is too deep to make getting to it practical). For many, these skyscrapers symbolize NYC and create its distinctive skyline.

This photo was taken at the exit from the Staten Island Ferry terminal at State Street near Battery Park, where there are also ferries to other locations, such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Governors Island. Downtown has the greatest mix of the early skyscrapers with the ultramodern. There is now a new Skyscraper Museum at Battery Park City.

Posted on June 12, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Scenic NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
17 State Street

Posted on June 1, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This striking 41-story building is in lower Manhattan, abutting Battery Park. Its unique quarter round shape is instantly recognizable from many angles and can be seen approaching it from many vantage points from the waters south of Manhattan, where it is quite prominent in the skyline. It was built in 1988 by Emery Roth and Sons, one of the oldest architecture firms in the USA and with more buildings to their credit in NYC than anyone else – nearly 200 – including some of the finest luxury buildings in the city. The history of the founder, Emery Roth (born 1871), the company, and their work is just fascinating – I recommend this article…

Posted on June 1, 2006 by Brian Dubé

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Shrouded Secrets

Posted on May 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

It seems that NYC is in constant repair. It’s hard to walk far without seeing scaffolding as buildings repoint, repaint, resurface, rewindow, or re-something. And this scaffolding can be up for years at a time.

This remarkable building at 565 Broadway, originally 5 stories, is a marble-fronted Palladian palazzo built in 1859-60, unique for the SoHo cast iron district (note the striking buildings surrounding it. More images from an architecture company). Its gray shrouded fabric and wooden water tower were particularly dramatic on this cloudy day. This building has an interesting and varied history (from the NY Times). It was used for the filming of the first season of MTV’s Real World New York. Walls between two apartments were torn down to make a huge 4-bedroom apartment (article and photo).

Posted on May 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, NYC's History, Slings and Arrows of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
Ansonia Hotel

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The Ansonia Hotel is one of the most notable and fascinating buildings in NYC. Located in the Upper West Side on Broadway and 73rd Street, it was built between 1899 and 1904. It is enormous, with 2500 rooms, and is one of the most European-looking buildings, with its striking Beaux-Arts facade and Parisian-styled Mansard roof and corner turrets.

Babe Ruth, Theodore Dreiser, Igor Stravinsky, Enrico Caruso, Arturo Toscanini, Yehudi Menuhin, and Tony Curtis are just a few of its many prominent guests and residents of the past. There is much wonderful history about this building – it makes great reading (article with more photos). It was converted to condominiums in 1992.

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Homes and 'Hoods, NYC's History. Bookmark the permalink.
Winter Garden

Posted on May 3, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Very close to the site of the former World Trade Center is the World Financial Center and Winter Garden atrium, which was severely damaged in the disaster. 2000 panes of glass, about half of the arched ceiling, were shattered when the towers came down. The gigantic palm trees and everything else inside the Winter Garden were covered with very thick dust, shards of glass, and an acrid smoke, leaving it dark and eerie.

It has been completely restored – palm trees were replaced, along with marble flooring and half the grand staircase. The atrium greenhouse-like space has become a major venue for very interesting concerts, which are free but ticketed. If you are visiting NYC, it would be worth your while to check the schedule.
Last season, we went to a tribute of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 Nebraska album, played by a wide range of indie musicians, with flavors of everything from rockabilly country music to Indian sitar inspired guitars. It turned out that the famously reclusive rock star was in the audience with his wife, standing around and enjoying the concert anonymously the whole night, after which he stepped up and did a few numbers impromptu…

Posted on May 3, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Festivals Parades and Events, Music and Concerts. Bookmark the permalink.
Gwathmey Astor Place

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The East Village, even though very gentrified now, was always the center of the most radical political and artistic activities in NYC. This recently completed residential building, new and controversial in style and impact, has brought the forces of the old and new into visual conflict. Some love it, some hate it, and some praise the interiors and very much dislike the exterior (article).

Surrounded by old buildings that still have the feeling of the tenement about them, even if they cost the earth to live in these days, this “starchitected” building raises the stakes considerably – prices start at $3 million and go to $12 million. About half of the units are sold, rumor has it to wealthy media people along the lines of well-known actor and director types.
We are trying to imagine the changes that will certainly come when these people actually move in and start interacting in a neighborhood still full of cheap student restaurants, street vendors, and fierce hold out residents from the old radical days. But, as usual, we get used to changes and upheavals quickly, and eventually this place will blend into the background once it gets weathered in a bit…

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Homes and 'Hoods. Bookmark the permalink.
Lunchtime on a Skyscraper

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This sculpture, mounted on truck, is frequently displayed in SoHo. Titled Lunchtime on a Skyscraper – A Tribute to American Heroes, this piece was created by sculptor Sergio Furnari, who has a studio in Long Island City (Queens). The men are life-size, so the whole thing is quite startling and unexpected when first seen and usually draws the interest of many people passing by. The sculpture was inspired by a well-known photo of iron workers in 1932 taking a lunchtime break while building Rockefeller Center.

Posted on April 30, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture. Bookmark the permalink.
Anniversary

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The Empire State Building is having its 75th anniversary, and we were reminded of that by a wonderful, in-depth treatment in the New York Times – history, photos, video, audio slide show, and the story of Lewis Hines, who took extraordinary photographs of the daredevils who built it, recounting the urban myths and legends that surround the building.

Since it was for a long time and now is again the tallest building in the city, it has become New York City’s lighthouse. It has an enormous pull to the eye if you are anywhere in the city from which it can be seen, rising above the rest. From street level nearby, it doesn’t look like much, and the neighborhood in which it is set is not terribly remarkable. When you can see it from a distance, particularly at night, the structure reveals itself, and the interior, with a very art deco feel, gives a strong feeling of those brash days when it was built…

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, New York at Night, NYC's History, Only in New York, Scenic NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
The Sun Never Sets

Posted on April 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The sun never set on the British Empire – what this handsome golden fellow symbolizes. He is an intaglio carving by Lee Laurie, cut into the face of the British Empire Building (which is across the long garden concourse from the French Building, which has its own beauties) over the doorways of 620 Fifth Avenue, one of the four main buildings in Rockefeller Center. Mercury is the god of commerce and speed, a messenger, and even the patron of thievery.

When built in the thirties, this building served as the off shore center for British commerce and trade while they were under tremendous siege at home. His appearance of forward movement is a reminder, if we need one, to hurry about our business….

Posted on April 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Art and Sculpture. Bookmark the permalink.
Rock Floor

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The 30 Rockefeller Center lobby has very highly polished black terrazzo floors inlaid with brass designs and dramatically lit sepia murals that go on for acres throughout a number of interconnected buildings. It is the ultimate NYC Art Deco atmosphere and is meticulously maintained – the golden lighting reflects off the black floors. I often feel like I am an extra in a film set as I rush across these dark polished surfaces, with Ira Gershwin playing the background score, “Rhapsody in Blue.”

You can walk quite a distance underground to avoid bad weather, and there are also many shops and restaurants, as well as a TV station. We are looking forward to getting up to the recently reopened and restored observatory on the top floor, which is said to have the best views of the city. We will be doing more postings about this quintessentially glamorous part of midtown Manhattan. Here’s a link to a lot more about this landmark…

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Art and Sculpture, Tourist Attractions. Bookmark the permalink.

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