NYC Facades

Original and decorative tenements

I like this collection for two reasons. First, the way in which the rightmost is almost an outcast among its “family,” namely with its stripped cornice and alternative painting. Second, I have a weak spot for the heavy arches four-fifths of the way up the building. But more than that, the way in which the offsetting window spandrels create three-story tall archways, almost as though in a loft building. This type of building displays a remarkable coherence despite, or as a result of, its weight.

Curved corner windows, brickwork abound

I really like the variety of brickwork on this building, which varies from under-window to adorning the chimney on the eastern face (sunny) face. At the corner you can see that the building is one of a set and has several relatives adjacent and across Amsterdam.

Multi-story extension

One thing that has caught my attention about buildings is the extensions.This is a good example, and an easy one to spot; they clearly added an extra three stories in a different color without extending the stone lintel pattersn. However, it also seems they added an extra story before that; why else is there a thick white line ringing the building but the remnant of the original cornice?

Upper West Side Art Deco

The towers on this building appear to mimic those on Central Park West (in particular the El Dorado), but these are actually water towers! Nonetheless, the art deco styling subtly turns a potentially bland and overbuilt facade into something majestic.

Can you spot the addition?

This bland addition was completed in the last year or so. There is little to recommend it, except to remind us of the style now lost in modern construction. They didn’t even bother to add all the lines of windows the whole way up.

Mosaic on lower floor

There are a few buildings, particularly on Amsterdam Avenue, which can only be described as gaunt and undecorated, yet are highly ornamented at points.

Unalignment

Tiny colonnade

This collection originally caught my eye for its lack of alignment between related buildings, however I have come to accept that some streets are hilly enough to throw off that plan (with a few percent grade, one would expect the base of the buildings to be offset). I really love the little Greek temple on the side for (what I suspect is) the bathroom.

Renaissance/arabic window stylings

This building is unassuming from the street, but has decorations that seem quite out of place.

This block-long pair of buildings was to be bought by a developer and have a monstrous modern condo built on top of the existing structures. Community outcry, revised zoning (in the aftermath of the Ariel East and West), and the economy killed that plan. Nonetheless, most of stores on the block closed with the exception of three restaurants. See also the Curbed coverage, including renderings of the proposed additions.