New York is not the oldest city in the United States, and certainly not the newest. But perhaps more than any other American city, this is home to more layers of history, and that quality is most evident in its built environment. Even the most casual tourist, strolling down Broadway, for example, can feel the different eras embodied in the surrounding buildings. new architectural digest video above. All in all, it’s a two-hour journey around the city from Central Park to Wall Street.
Along the way, you’ll explore everything on foot, from the turn-of-the-century “apartment hotels” on the Upper West Side to the recently constructed “skyscraper” residential towers on West 57th Street, the development above the buried Grand Central Terminal, and the defunct industrial railroad now known as the High Line, a linear park and emulated around the world..
Longtime New Yorkers tend to think of each region of the city as more or less a country in itself, but a little more distance reveals signs of endless social, economic, and aesthetic interaction between them. This is an important factor in how the use and role of even the most majestic buildings in a city change after unexpected changes.
Helping us make sense of all this are architects Michael Weitzner and Nick Potts, both of whom are expertly placed to explain both the big picture of New York’s evolution and the significance of the various oddities and eccentricities on its streets. Even architecture novices will be impressed as they walk past the mansion that was once home to Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. A jagged bunker that houses the Whitney Museum, the Met Breuer, and the Frick Madison. The so-called “Billionaire’s Row” of incredibly skinny skyscrapers. Or the Dakota, John Lennon’s final home. But to know what such buildings can tell us about New York’s history and nature, we have to see them through the eyes of these architects, as another famous rock star once sang.
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
