Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Third and Second Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

Continuing across 43rd Street, I was struck by this tall building with the open top. What was it for?




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

Next, at street level, even more striking and raising more questions.




Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

Now, all together.

Luckily, there was a wall plaque and it read, "Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations". We are, after all, heading straight for the United Nations.

This description of the building is lifted from the Mission's web site:

PMI PREMISES
Designed by Charles Correa, a leading architect of India, the building that houses the Permanent Mission of India [PMI] has a striking personality and embodies the cultural iconography of t he country its represents. The red granite base is vividly contrasted by a grand monolithic entryway in handcrafted bronze. The granite is broken by an audacious square opening high above the entrance that has a stylized version of the Indian national flag. At the top of the building is a double-height penthouse porch, which echoes an Indian barasati. The entire structure symbolizes the timeless richness of Indian architectural forms.

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Wondering what a barasati is? From Indianexpress.com: "Barsati, in general parlance, and chaubara in typical Haryanvi meant a one-room penthouse — considered to be a romantic structure. They were airy and located at a height to make you actually feel 'on top of the world.' The importance of a barsati or a chaubara could be known and felt only during mild showers or torrential rains. These country dwellings filled the heart with awe and enjoyment."

And here is Galinsky, a site that offers " free access to exciting modern buildings and the means to explore them: photographs, descriptions and practical visitor information." This is their short article on the Indian Mission.

See map.