NYC Facades

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.

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.

Aerial photo of old Penn Station

Although this was a very well known building, its destruction is even better-known; see this post on my personal blog for historical quotes on the progression of the demolition and the public outcry.

Full view

Lower decoration

Upper decoration

Although this building was built in 1925, it did not become a Sofia Storage location until 1950. It was originally constructed for the Metropolitan Fireproof Warehouse Company, but Sofia bought it when Metropolitan went under.

Clearly removed cornice

I like the fan-like lintels as well as the heavy arches on the top windows; the heavy relief (or what appears to be relief in this light) gives a great character. I venture so far as to say the missing cornice enhances the effect.

Ornate water tower

The water tower and parapet are among the most decorated parts of this building. However, that is partly the result of lazy repair work done to remove the cornice (clearly visible at the bottom of the picture by the thick light brick line). One has to wonder whether anything other than style motivated the decoration so far removed from the street.

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?

Insignia with stained glass

Year under the chimney (?)

This is an unassuming building with some great detail, shown here. Note the lion and human faces in the corbels; what do they represent?

Extension above the ave

I think the juxtaposition of this stately old building and the offset extension is interesting. This is the “On the Ave” hotel.