Flatiron District, Fifth Avenue Between 23rd and 22nd Streets

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………..… ………………….. click to enlarge

It wasn't until I turned around and saw this doorway that I realized I was standing by the great Flatiron Building, seen here on March 17, 2009.

New York City Landmarks describes the building as "clad in traditional Italian Renaissance ornament, most of it white terra cotta."

Chelsea, 19th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

This eye-catching glassy condo, which was built in 2006, was developed by the Clarett Group and designed by Randy Gerner of Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel.  The updated price on a 3-bedroom apartment is from $2,375,000.  Note the from.  Almost seems affordable, doesn't it?  To see an envy-inducing description of the apartments and amenities go to City Realty.

Chelsea, 30th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Here is the landmarked building I promised.  It is the Cass Gilbert, only recently named after its architect, upon being converted to condominiums.  You may know Cass Gilbert as the architect of the Woolworth Building, at one time the world's tallest building.  Also the U.S. Courthouse.  This building, then, built in 1927-28, was unusual for him, in that it was really a manufacturing loft building, built for the fur industry which had recently begun developing in this area.

In 2003, the developer, Henry Justin, divided the building into 45 condominium units and it sold out within 60 days.  He had received permission from the architect's grandson to use the name.  According to the New York Times, Justin said that if the grandson had refused, he might have named it the "Beaver Pelt Building."

Had that occurred, it may have taken longer than 60 days to sell out.




Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Here's a close-up of one of the entrances showing terra cotta reliefs of chariots and roaring lions, part of the reason for its landmarked status.  Those of you interested in stuff like this should go to the report of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  I love those reports; this one talks about the neighborhood, the architect, why it makes sense that he designed this building (it was a social connection), the design, what a loft building requires, the zoning law which required setbacks, architectural terra cotta, and finally, why they gave it landmark status.  Every question I could possibly have, they answer.

By the way, this is right next to the also landmarked 23 Police Precinct Station House, seen here at the beginning of this walk on June 29.

Chelsea, 30th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………….......……….. click to enlarge

A week ago Saturday, I found myself on this block in front of this building that we first saw two years ago.  With one important difference.  This time I had a wide angle lens.  And now you can see the whole thing.  This is the former 23rd Police Precinct Station House and you can read all about it at the above link.

Midtown, Broadway at 59th Street

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Here's the Time Warner Building seen in its entirety for the first time in this blog.  It has appeared in previous posts in supporting roles.

I love this photo for its look of unreality.  I feel like I'm a player on the board game, Candyland.  Notice the two-dimensionality of the left tower.  You may want to check the previous posts to reassure yourself that it is indeed a real tower.

Midtown, Broadway at 57th Street

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

These walks are getting interminable; this one started on May 5th.  Time to wind down, go home.  So I've made it to Broadway, on my way to the 59th Street subway station.  I took this shot because of the Hearst Building over on Eighth Avenue - the building with the triangles.

I've hated this building from the moment I set eyes on it - as it was being constructed.  It has a lot to do with the building it sits atop, which is ludicrously incompatible.  Imagine my bafflement when all the architectural critics loved it.  I can only conclude they are drinking some funny Kool-aid.  To see what I'm talking about, go to the Wikipedia article and look at the first image.  Then scroll down to the 3 images and enlarge the third one.  Is that coherent?  Does it make any sense?  NO, no, no.  I will probably carry on some more when I do a photowalk closer up.  Perhaps I should take an architecture class in the meantime.

Midtown, 56th Street at Madison Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… …….....…………….. click to enlarge

I do want to talk about this notorious building with its Chippendale pediment, but I can't do it justice at this late hour.  This is the Sony Building, formerly the AT&T building, of Philip Johnson, one of the leading architects of the modernist period.  Come back tomorrow.  It's worth getting into.
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6/3 - Okay, so Philip Johnson championed the International Style of architecture and introduced it to the United States in a show he helped organize at The Museum of Modern Art in 1932, featuring, among others, the European architects Le Corbusier and Mies Van der Rohe.  The principles of the style, according to Johnson, were 1) emphasis of volume over mass, 2) asymmetry and 3) NO decoration.  The Seagram Building is a perfect example of this style.  See also the United Nations, designed by Le Corbusier.  However, Johnson lived a long time (98 years) and there came a time when he got bored with the International Style.  But you know how people get upset when you change.  Just think of Bob Dylan.  So when he built the AT&T Building and put a split pediment on top of it, looking like the top of a piece of furniture, some people carried on quite a bit about it.  This was in 1984, a couple of years after I moved here, and I remember the complaints.  Now, however, it is seen as one of the first expressions of postmodern architecture.  A good thing.  Witty and fun.

Note how I managed to get the pediment in the photo.  But you'll get better views and lot of them at New York Architecture images.

West Village, 10th Street at West Street

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………….....……….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Although this building is on the north side of West 10th, it has been included in the Weehawken Street Historic District Designation Report, and so we can know just about everything there is to know about it.  You'll be happy to know I'm not going to tell you everything there is to know about it, but it's good to know it's there.

It was built in 1903-04 as a hotel, the Holland Hotel, and over the years it has been home to many businesses, including Peter Rabbit, a gay men's bar,* and, lately Uguale Restaurant, followed by the present tenant, Antica Venezia Ristorante.

I used to go here when it was Uguale, not that the food was more than pretty good, but the space was nice, with the big windows looking out over the sunset and the West Side Highway. 

Now for architecture talk.  The style is neo-Renaissance and the facade materials are buff brick which has been painted, terra cotta, and a pressed metal cornice.  It features a round corner oriel.  What the heck is an oriel, I wondered.  Naturally, I googled.  The definitions all came up "oriel window", and said it was a projecting window which does not extend to the ground.  To me, the oriels in this building do not look like windows; they look like rounded spaces projecting from the building that have windows.  BUT they do not extend to the gound.  Anyway, I think we get the idea, and in the future, we will be able to impress our friends by throwing the term around.  Try to be casual.

For an explanation of why the building was included in the historic district, here's a quote from the report:

Built during the third significant phase of the historic district’s development, when it continued to be improved with residential, industrial, and commercial structures after the turn of the 20th century, this handsome 3-story, neo-Renaissance hotel, one of the last surviving hotels located along the Hudson River waterfront, contributes to the historically-mixed architectural character and varied uses – much of it maritime-related – of the Weehawken Street Historic District.

There will be more about the District itself when I photograph Weehawken Street.


*For a story about Peter Rabbit, go to Bent, "the place where disability and queerness meet head-on."