Tag Archives: New York

More on Penn Sta. rebuild

Posted on May 27, 2017 by

The Gothamist yesterday ran a long article by Jake Offenhartz, “A Dramatic Plan to Rebuild Penn Station & Restore its Lost Grandeur,” that explains the several initiatives involved in the proposal to rebuild Penn Station in its original Beaux Arts … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Living beyond the Chrysler

Posted on May 1, 2017 by

With the new looser height restrictions in Manhattan’s Midtown East, it looks as if people with condos atop new towers soon to be built will be able to look down their noses from the clouds above the crown of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

New York then and now

Posted on April 9, 2017 by

Yesterday I posted a series of film clips shot between 1896 and 1905, and urged readers familiar with the city to use the tools supplied with the video to imagine what those places look like today. Well, a reader, Barry … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Oldest footage of New York

Posted on April 8, 2017 by

This fascinating video, “Oldest footage of New York City ever,” filmed between 1896 and 1905, has been seen on this blog before. I post it again because, first, it is so amazing, and second, it has a new feature my … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Old Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Jane Jacobs cornucopia

Posted on February 22, 2017 by

Here is an excellent review of recent books published by and about Jane Jacobs in the past year, which was the centennial of her birth. “What Jane Jacobs Saw,” by Michael Lewis in the upcoming March issue of First Things, … Continue reading →

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My explosive TB blog post

Posted on December 5, 2016 by

My November blog post written for Traditional Building magazine was explosive, to say the least. It is about two buildings that blew up and a third building that bodes well to beautify its neighborhood by not blowing up its context. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

900 pages on WTC rebuild

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

I am remiss in not having been aware, until yesterday, of Columbia University emerita professor Lynne Sagalyn’s 900-page book on the politics and economics of rebuilding the World Trade Center after 9/11. It is called  Power at Ground Zero: Politics, … Continue reading →

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Review: 1 WTC’s biography

Posted on November 28, 2016 by

The new World Trade Center reflects what was worst about the old WTC towers and their brethren demolished by terrorists on 9/11. The Twin Towers were sterile, inhumane structures that epitomized the crushing brutality of urbanism at its worst in … Continue reading →

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Unbuilt New York (Whew!)

Posted on November 27, 2016 by

The architectural writer Alexandra Lange reviews Never Built New York in The New Yorker: Her piece is called “The New York that Could Have Been,” a title that suggests she yearns for it. The book, written and compiled by Greg … Continue reading →

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First kill all the bureaucrats

Posted on November 8, 2016 by

Let’s see if I have this correct: The 110-year-old Christ Church on West 36th Street, in Manhattan’s Garment District, was purchased by a developer who wanted to save the facade to be incorporated into the design of a new hotel. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments