History

Today we think of cemeteries as spooky, haunted places that we avoid, or as sad, depressing spots reserved for funerals. But they were once quite the opposite--in fact, they were the earliest incarnations of public parks. In New York City, burials took place on private or church property up until the mid-1800's when commercial cemeteries began popping up. And in the East Village there are two such early burial grounds hidden among the townhouses and tenements--the New York Marble Cemetery (on the west side of Second Avenue just above Second Street) and the New York City Marble Cemetery (on the north side of Second Street between First and Second Avenues). Though their titles are extremely similar and they're located less than a block apart, the two cemeteries are operated separately and have their own unique history. And during openhousenewyork weekend, we were lucky enough to take a peek beyond the cast iron gates and into these important pieces of the East Village's past.
Explore the Marble Cemeteries

History

October 16, 2014

A History of New York in 101 Objects: 6sqft Edition

As urbanists we tend to define the city by locations and the historic events that unfolded at them. But what about getting even more specific and looking at New York's past through tangible objects? That's exactly what New York Times urban affairs correspondent Sam Roberts has assembled in a new book, A History of New York in 101 Objects. And a corresponding exhibit at the New York Historical Society puts Roberts' choices, along with objects from the Society's collection, on view. We were so intrigued by this idea that we decided to put together a 6sqft version of the list. From preservationists to architects to real estate brokers, we've asked ten people to give us the ten objects that they feel best define New York City's history. There are definitely some favorites that emerged like cobblestones, Metrocards, and pizza, as well as an eclectic mix of items that speak to our participants' personal connections to New York.
See the lists here

Photo by brandon king cc

October 15, 2014

Bed-Stuy: From Harlem and Hip-Hop to Hipsters, Hassids and High Rents

By Annie Doge

Brooklyn is changing fast and at the forefront of this is Bedford-Stuyvesant—or as it's more commonly known, Bed-Stuy. Like most New York neighborhoods, Bed-Stuy has had its ups and downs, its most notable down being the 80s and 90s when crime and drugs were at a record high. But as hard as the times may have gotten, the neighborhood has maintained itself as one of the city's most culturally significant. Bed-Stuy has long been home to one of the largest concentrations of African-Americans in New York, it boasts beautiful well-preserved architecture spanning countless styles and centuries, and of course, there is the neighborhood's central role in the hip-hop movement.
More on the history and future of Bed-Stuy

October 15, 2014

An Abridged History of New York City’s Most Popular Bridges

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), Manhattan boasts about 20 bridges that connect the Big Apple to neighboring areas—many of which have various degrees of landmark status, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the High Bridge, the University Heights Bridge and the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. We often use these marvels without giving them much thought beyond the grandiose size and maybe their engineering, so to give you a little trivia to impress your friends with the next time you cross one these storied bridges, we're offering up a handy primer on seven of the city's most famous.
A quick primer on the city's top bridges

October 13, 2014

Holiday Field Trip: Where to Find Christopher Columbus in NYC

It's easy to forget that Columbus Day is more than just a day off from work (which we're not complaining about), but rather a holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1942. But if you need reminding, look no further than these memorials scattered around New York City.
Take a tour of where to find Christopher Columbus monuments in NYC

Photo courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle

October 11, 2014

An Architect’s Gift from the Jet Age: The TWA Flight Center at JFK International Airport

By Michelle Cohen

The TWA Flight Center at what is today John F. Kennedy International airport represents both the ephemeral and the ageless; our vulnerability at the end of the "American century" and the enduring beauty of inspired modern design. The work of mid-20th century Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the historic terminal is among the city’s most beloved architectural treasures. It first opened in 1962, a year after the architect’s death, and Saarinen posthumously received the AIA Gold Medal award for the design in 1962. Despite its storied past and widespread reverence, since the demise of TWA and its subsequent purchase by American Airlines in 2001, the terminal’s iconic “head house” has remained eerily vacant, and its future continues to be a point of contention.
More on the terminal's past and uncertain future

October 8, 2014

New App Lets Users Send 20th Century Postcards with a Then-and-Now Feature

Perusing those bins of vintage postcards at flea markets is always a treat, but who wants to mail and part ways with such fun pieces of nostalgia? A new app called ScenePast: Americana Road Trip, however, lets users send 20th century postcards digitally, so you can share your favorite scenes without tapping into your personal collection. If that wasn't enough, ScenePast also has a feature that provides the current-day view of the streetscape depicted on the postcard--a fun tool that is sure to prove addictive for history buffs.
More on the app here

October 2, 2014

Kleindeutschland: The History of the East Village’s Little Germany

Before there were sports bars and college dorms, there were bratwurst and shooting clubs. In 1855, New York had the third largest German-speaking population in the world, outside of Vienna and Berlin, and the majority of these immigrants settled in what is today the heart of the East Village. Known as "Little Germany" or Kleindeutschland (or Dutchtown by the Irish), the area comprised roughly 400 blocks, with Tompkins Square Park at the center. Avenue B was called German Broadway and was the main commercial artery of the neighborhood. Every building along the avenue followed a similar pattern--workshop in the basement, retail store on the first floor, and markets along the partly roofed sidewalk. Thousands of beer halls, oyster saloons, and grocery stores lined Avenue A, and the Bowery, the western terminus of Little Germany, was filled with theaters. The bustling neighborhood began to lose its German residents in the late nineteenth century when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe move in, and a horrific disaster in 1904 sealed the community's fate.
Read our full history of Kleindeutschland

History

October 2, 2014

Iconic Rainbow Room Reopens with All Its Former Glitz and Glamour

The Rainbow Room served its first guests on October 3, 1934, and now, almost 80 years later to the day, the historic restaurant and event space has reopened after a restoration by Gabellini Sheppard Architects. Located on the 65th floor of the Raymond Hood-designed 30 Rockefeller Plaza (30 Rock), it was the first restaurant located in a high-rise building and for decades was the highest restaurant in the country. Suffering from a decline in business, the fine-dining establishment closed its doors in 2009. But in 2012, the Rainbow Room was declared an official interior landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), and a year later it was announced that the storied space would reopen this fall. Right on schedule, the new incarnation of the venue opened last night for a preview by the Sir John Soanes Museum Foundation.
Ogle the landmarked restaurant here

Strivers’ Row Home Tour & Exhibit at Macy’s Showcase Harlem’s Elegant Enclave

This weekend, all you old-house lovers will have two opportunities to step back in time and explore the elite Harlem enclave known as Strivers' Row. Located on West 138th to West 139th Streets, between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, the area was once home to prominent, wealthy African-American performers, artists, and professionals who lived in the harmonious row of stately brick dwellings. Running until Sunday, October 5th is an exhibit at Macy's called “Strivers’ Row Style: Uptown Comes Downtown,” which will feature vignettes by various designers of what the interiors of these historic homes would have looked like during the heyday. Also on the 5th is the Strivers' Rome Home Tour, which lets participants inside eight of the distinctive residences and four historic churches.
More on Striver's Row and the upcoming events

September 26, 2014

Before There was ‘Ruin Porn’ There was ‘Ruin Value’

By Diane Pham

In the internet hierarchy of "things the internets like", we'd argue that ruin porn sits wedged somewhere between Buzzfeed quizzes and cats. Images of decaying architecture conjure up unsettling feelings of tragedy and loss, but somehow manage to grip us with its intangible beauty. Whatever the cause for this may be, the thrill and enjoyment we get from looking ruin porn is palpable. The term 'ruin porn' is said to have been coined by blogger James Griffioen during a 2009 interview with Vice magazine in which he criticized photographers who scouted down-trodden Detroit for provocative photos. While ruin porn is the trend at hand, decades before its arrival there was something called 'ruin value'.
learn more about ruin value

September 24, 2014

Our Top 10 Event Picks for Archtober 2014

New York City's architecture and design month is almost here. "Archtober" is 31 days of architecture and design events, including talks, tours, receptions, and festivals. There are dozens of events for you to check out, but we've hand-picked ten that will give you a well-rounded and memorable Archtober.
Find out here what events to check out

<b>Mapping the Evolution of the Lower East Side Through a Jewish Lens, 1880-2014</b>

Image courtesy of MNCY

September 19, 2014

Mapping the Evolution of the Lower East Side Through a Jewish Lens, 1880-2014

Long considered the capital of Jewish America, this overpoweringly cramped neighborhood was considered by many to be the greatest concentration of Jewish life in nearly 2,000 years. Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million mostly-impoverished Ashkenazi Jews came to the US and nearly 75 percent took up residence on the Lower East Side. According to the Library of Congress, by 1900, more than 700 people per acre were settling in a neighborhood lined with tenements and factories. And as quickly as they descended on the streets, all sharing a common language (mostly Yiddish) and most certainly, similar backgrounds, they quickly established synagogues as early as 1865 (the landmarked Bialystoker Synagogue, whose congregants were mostly Polish immigrants from Bailystok), small shops, pushcarts teeming with goods, social clubs and even financial-aid societies. By 1910, the Lower East Side’s population was well over the five million mark, but sadly, such congestion habitually caused havoc.
Learn more about the history of the LES here

History

<b>A La Sagrada Familia in Manhattan? See the Unbuilt NYC Gaudí</b>

Gaudi’s proposed building in the New York skyline, as imagined by the TV show “Fringe.” Image © FringeTelevision.com

September 18, 2014

A La Sagrada Familia in Manhattan? See the Unbuilt NYC Gaudí

Atoni Gaudí was a brilliant and polarizing architect. Whereas most architects will see their works compared and contrasted against others in their field, even the most knowledgeable architectural critics will look at Gaudí's work and throw up their hands and say it must be something alien. The organic curves and mounds of Gaudí's designs look hundreds of years ahead of their time. But Gaudí worked mostly around his home region of Catalonia, and the businesslike skyscrapers of Manhattan have never looked anything like the the architect's designs. However, there was a time when a Gaudí NYC skyscraper almost came to be.
See the proposed Gaudí building here

September 12, 2014

There’s a Cold War Bomb Shelter Hidden Under the Brooklyn Bridge

Just when we thought we'd seen it all, we get word that there's a Cold War-era bomb shelter hidden under the Brooklyn Bridge, amid the landmark's many secret passageways and forgotten rooms. The nuclear bunker is inside one of the massive stone arches below the bridge's main entrance on the Manhattan side, and it's chock full of supplies, including medication like Dextran (used to treat shock), water drums, paper blankets, and 352,000 calorie-packed crackers (that may be still be edible, in fact).
Find out what else lies beneath and how this hidden shelter was discovered

History

September 8, 2014

Cliffs Notes on New York’s Most Famous Storied Residential Buildings

The newest apartment houses, be it now or some 150 years ago has always been of great interest to New York buyers and renters. And like today, their appeal make sell-outs as easy as pie. From Manhattan's very first apartment building to those that followed a decade or so later, those initial projects continue to remain the city's most coveted digs—not to mention the city’s most expensive. But what stands out among these famous buildings as the years passed was the introduction of not-yet-available services—ranging from running water and elevators to electricity and communal amenities. Whether we are talking about the Dakota or the luxurious the Osborne Flats, learn why these century-plus-old buildings continue to enchant the rich, the famous, and the rest of us.
Click here for Cliffs Notes on NYC's most historic homes

September 2, 2014

Frank Lloyd Wright Designs Destined for NYC But Never Built

Many wonder why such a prolific and famous architect as Frank Lloyd Wright didn't have more buildings in New York City. It's safe to say he wasn't a huge fan of urban density, but how could one possibly create something as iconic as the Guggenheim's spirals without getting any other work in the city? As we showed in a previous post, two Wright designs have actually been demolished. Now, we will look at the two buildings Wright intended for the New York area which were never fully realized—at least, not in Manhattan.
See the Frank Lloyd Wright designs here

What It Takes to Maintain the Fraunces Tavern Museum

Image credit: MAAP

August 29, 2014

What It Takes to Maintain the Fraunces Tavern Museum

By Alyssa Alimurung

The Fraunces Tavern Museum at 54 Pearl Street in FiDi has a long history of use, changing hands and purpose countless times since it was constructed back in the 18th century. What started as a simple rental home was later turned into a dance studio, eventually finding itself as a popular tavern-slash-boarding-home-slash-community center throughout and after the Revolutionary War. The […]

August 26, 2014

Everything Old Is New Again: The Rise, Fall, and Eventual Rise Again of Co-Op Living

The Rembrandt at 152 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues was built as Manhattan’s first co-op in 1881. Apartment ownership was already in fashion across the pond, particularly in France and Britain, but the concept of a resident-owned building was still an unknown to most of us. Developed by a syndicate led by Jared B. Flagg, a clergyman with an avid interest in real estate, and built by the notable architectural firm of Hubert & Pirsson, the group had come to the conclusion that potential buyers would be drawn to a building where they would have control over expenses. For instance, buying coal and ice in bulk in order to keep prices down, and hiring a full-time communal staff to take care of the owners’ laundry, cooking and the running the elevators. Built as a brick and brownstone building with terra-cotta trim and jerkin-head gable windows at the top, the unit mix—a result of an interlocking system of staggered floor heights to allow for very tall art studio spaces—included a few duplex apartments with as many as 12 rooms. Original brochure prices reportedly ranged between $4,000 and $5,000, with monthly maintenance as low as $50. Confident in the ultimate success of co-operative living, Mr. Flagg with Hubert & Pirsson continued to develop another six co-op projects that very same year.
The history of co-ops and their rise, fall, and rise again into popularity

August 25, 2014

Loew’s Kings Theatre Will Reopen in Flatbush With All of its 1920s Gilded Glamour

After nearly four decades of sitting vacant, the majestic Loew's Kings Theatre in Flatbush will reopen. It was announced in 2010 that the 1920s movie palace would be restored to its former gilded glory thanks to a $70 million renovation, and now it's been revealed that the reopening will take place in January 2015. The theatre closed in 1977, but according to a press release, the new Loew's Kings Theatre "will serve as both a cultural and economic cornerstone for the Brooklyn community, presenting more than 200 performances annually—including music, dance, theatre, and comedy—providing a resource to foster and support creativity in the area, creating jobs and attracting thousands of visitors to the neighborhood." It will also have 3,000 seats, making it the largest theatre in Brooklyn.
Take a look at the stunning, historic interiors

History

August 21, 2014

Mastering the Master Plan: A Look at NYC’s Planned Neighborhoods

We often think of the street grid as New York's greatest "master plan." Officially known as the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, this put in place the original, gridded street pattern that we still know today. But there have been several other master plans that took shape on a smaller scale within the linear configuration of Manhattan. These planned communities were largely conceived to transform blighted or underutilized areas into suburban enclaves or peaceful oases within the big city. And just like the neighborhoods that grew organically among the street grid, these master-planned areas each have a unique character. They've also influenced a new crop of developments, currently under construction on the West Side and in Brooklyn.
We take a look at planned communities that historically changed the fabric of the city, as well as those on the horizon

August 20, 2014

Watch Charles and Ray Eames Unveil Their Iconic Lounger on NBC’s ‘Home’ Show

By Diane Pham

Few chairs are as recognizable as those designed by Charles and Ray Eames. And though Modernist duo were pioneers in the creation of quality furniture, both easily produced and sold at affordable prices (though you wouldn't exactly guess that now), did you know that their lounger was their first foray into the high-end furniture market? Officially titled Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman (671), the chair was originally designed for Herman Miller back in 1956, and when it was released, Charles and Ray were already household names counting nearly 1 million chairs in homes across the country. To that end, when the pair were ready to debut this latest luxury creation, NBC's Home show invited them to come on and talk about their design. Anyone who admires the Eames will without question love this video featuring the adorable twosome modestly taking compliments from host Arlene Francis while discussing everything from their plywood chair, to their precedent home in Los Angeles, to their lounger, which in the segment gets a comically dramatic unveiling complete with curtains, lights and music.
Watch the video here

August 19, 2014

From Swamps to Swank: A Brief History of Gramercy Park Hotel and the Garden’s Highly Coveted Keys

With a prime location overlooking Gramercy Park, accessible solely to those with keys, the 183-year-old Renaissance revival Gramercy Park Hotel was built on the site of infamous architect Stanford White’s home (which had replaced the house where novelist Edith Wharton was born) nearly 90 years ago. The neighborhood, the park, and the hotel date as far back as the 1830s, when more than 60 swampy lots were allocated to developers looking to lure downtown city folks to a new “uptown” community. In time, those lots were transformed into what is now 39 dwellings surrounding a leafy park reserved for a select few lucky enough to live in luxurious homes framing the two-acre park between 20th and 21st Streets at Irving Place. But it wasn't until 1925 that the stately hotel opened its doors at 2 Lexington Avenue. By 1930, it was extended westward along the park frontage on 21st street, and today it is one of the city's most coveted quarters.
More on the history of Gramercy Park Hotel here

History

August 15, 2014

The Nearly Fatal Design Flaw That Could Have Sent the Citigroup Center Skyscraper Crumbling