NYC Facades

Front of the building

A sample window with decorations

A highly ornamented column; for a lamp?

A mid-building balcony

This building, located on 7th Avenue and 58th street, was just sensory overload. The level of detail is just completely overwhelming. If ever there was a strike against this gothic architecture, this would be it. However, the ecorations are quite evocative: there are dragons beneath the windows; the lamp column are decorated as the pulpit of a cathedral; the the standard columns have arms as though a spread eagle.

What depth of consideration goes into this decoration? Is there a palatte of gothic architecture, or does the symbolism run deep with every building, and unique to the object?

Often the best thing to see is at the top of the building. Note the unfinished side

Upper floor detail

This matches the entrance on the east end of 40 W 23

Gothic pillars

Detailed rods hidden in the column ridges

This building is a wonderful complement to 40 West 23rd, and also happens to be occupied by The Home Depot.

Pink!

Pink and green!

This building is just too much; I don’t know what to say that despite its funny color scheme it has some interesting details. I am putting it down as “classical”, which I feel is given away by columns and the horizontal blocking (which is usually done on the bottom floor).

Wroght iron terrace; look at the inset decoration

Terrace detail

I think the baluster is flowers flexing their muscles to hold up the railing; I imagine it as something straight out of a Disney movie. I also like the inset brick columns on the first picture, to the right.

Picture frame

Grand decorations

The horizontal surrounding the leaves on the middle floor on the bottom picture look like they are shaded in a comic book. Note the great ornaments in the center and corbels on the sides.

26th street from Madison Square

Upper story detail

11 East detail

These are a great example of buildings with more to offer well above street level; the ground floors are devoted to storefronts with little detail. However the left one, #9, has lovely pillar decorations and a mansard with quatrefoil and peaked window caps.

The right building is suggestive of a factory, with its large window framing on the top three floors; however, I doubt it was a factory, given its location and size. I also included the statues midway up, which are called Atlas’s (as in, Atlas is holding up the building).

Upper stories

Arches, pilasters and capitals

Upper stories detail with mullions

The bottom of this building is so bland in comparison with the top floors (visible in the first picture), it is almost like another world.

Do they have enough communications equipment attached?

This was taken from Madison Square. I have been told that during the race for height with The Chrysler building, the Empire State was not expected to have a needle. Can you imagine it without the needle? (I am actually told there is such an imitator in Houston, Texas.) It would be truly awful; basically a towering, art deco warehouse. As it is, the top looks like the bridge of a ship.

EDIT: As the comment below says, the Houston building is the former Transco Tower, now known as the Williams Tower. It bears some resemblance to the Empire State Building, but definitely has an other-wordly aspect due to its futuristic glass facade. I quite like it, actually.

Shabby extended shack

Like other iconic buildings, I tried to have a different take on this one, but those pictures didn’t come out. However, this funny modification made my cut; it looks like the ram on a giant triangular ship. The little shack they added would not be so silly, if not for the fact that the pillars visible through the clear glass are so out of place!

From left: The Knickerbocker Trust Company in 1904; in 1952, after its 1921 enlargement; and as it looks today.

From an article in the real estate section of the New York Times, March 5, 2009. Wikipedia also has an article on the building (there is a great period advertisement linked from there as well).

The article gives a history of the bulding, but it is hard to imagine from the building’s appearance today — not a trace of original facade remainds — what was there to begin with. Look inside the article also for a picture of original interior.