Built 1926 Architects Rapp & Rapp In 1926, Paramount Pictures, one of the major American motion picture companies, built its headquarters along with a cinematic theatre right in Times Square. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest building in Times Square and its illuminated glass globe could be seen as far as…
Category: NYC Landmarks
The Dorilton – One Beautiful Aberration
Address: 171 W 71st St, New York, NY 10023 Architect: Janes & Leo Opened: 1900 One cannot help noticing it. It’s elaborate, it’s bright-colored, it’s imposing… it is the Dorilton. The twelve-story structure is located at the corner of Broadway and 71st street across from its stylistic counterpart – the Ansonia. In contrast to the lacy and…
Chrysler Building
The most recognizable Art Deco silhouette in the city, it was the tallest in the world for a brief eleven months. Location: Lexington Ave @ 42nd Street Built: 1930 Architect: William Van Allen With its glistening spire and glorious triangle-shaped crown, the Chrysler Building is considered by many to be one of the finest buildings…
Washington Square Arch – a Triumphal Arch and a Small Revolution
Triumphal Arch was built to celebrate the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as the first President of the United States. Location: Washington Square South @ 5th Ave Opened: 1892 Architect: Stanford White Sculptors: Hermon Atkins MacNeil, Alexander Stirling Calder Style: Beaux-Arts Built to celebrate the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as the nation’s first President,…
MetLife Tower – a Piece of Venice in New York
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building Architect: Pierre LeBrun of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons Date: 1909 Height: 700′ Floors: 50 Where in the world does the prosaic practicality of an insurance company come in the shape of a Venetian campanile? In New York City, right around Madison Square Park! The MetLife Building, and subsequently its tower, was…
St. Patrick’s Cathedral – one spectacular folly!
Architect: James Renwick Jr. Built: 1858-1879 John Hughes, Archbishop of New York, had a vision for a new, grandiose Catholic cathedral that would offset the indignities suffered by the Catholics in 19th century New York. They called it Hughes’ folly. Up until the 19th century, New York was a Protestant stronghold with an insignificant Catholic…
The Flatiron – what’s in the name?
Architect Daniel H. Burnham Date 1902 What better way to advertise a successful company than to have a striking building bear its name! The Fuller Company, one of the largest construction companies in the United States (aka the world), erected a highly unusual building to house its headquarters that was to be called the Fuller…
The Plaza – Where Nothing Unimportant Ever Happens
It was once said that “Nothing unimportant ever happens in the Plaza.” One of America’s finest and most celebrated luxury hotels, it has the distinction of being the one and only. There is only one Plaza. The Plaza, the most expensive hotel in the city’s history, opened amidst much fanfare on October 1, 1907, being…
Grand Central Terminal
Please, do not, under any circumstance, call it a station. It’s a Terminal. Grand Central Terminal was built to house Cornelius Vanderbilt’s railroad network and was envisioned as a gateway to the city. It’s hard to underestimate its grandeur: every day, more than 750,000 people pass through the Grand Central, which is more than the entire…
The Empire State Building – the Eighth Wonder of the World saved by a Hollywood movie
Tallest in the world for 41 years and saved by King Kong… Location: 350 5th Ave between 33rd and 34th Streets Built: 1931 Architect: William F. Lamb of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon The first in the world to rise over 100 stories, and constructed in mere 14 months, the Empire State Building stood as the…
