Boot Scrapers, Part 5: Simple And Effective
I let this series languish for a while… The stoop of an 1825 rowhouse, with a simple wrought-iron handrail: The
Journal
Our work with old buildings has us studying a lot of different topics in addition to structural engineering – for example, architecture, history, and historic preservation – and we like sharing stories about what we’ve found.
Raising The Roof
More evident alterations at an old subway station, similar to one I discussed a couple of years ago. A view
Never Mind The Title
Max Hubacher, on December 21, 1954, titled this photo “New York City: Third Avenue Elevated”: And, sure enough, there’s the
An Ash Heap
The “valley of ashes” as portrayed in a graphic-novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby: A pile of coal ash in
Two Structural Efforts
In the foreground, the rear facade of the Seventh Regiment Armory, famous for its ornate rooms in front, some designed
Spectacle Is Timeless
From “1922 – 1940” (according to the New York Public Library) a postcard of “Bryant Park in 1853”: Except, of
Full Circle
Annexing the Bronx made perfect sense from the perspective of nineteenth-century New Yorkers. The city of New York was growing
Sic Transit
From the New York Public Library’s collection of stereoscopic views, “Syndicate and St. Paul Buildings, Highest Office Buildings in the
Another Continuum
In my head – and I suspect in most people’s heads – there is a sharp distinction between subways and
A Year Of Reading Matter
The NYC Department of Building has launched a monthly newsletter specifically about the new Existing Building Code: here. They don’t
Not Often Seen
We have filled in our fair share of coal chutes. They’re small tunnels into building cellars from the sidewalk, or
It Looked Familiar: A Promotion
From an indie comic called “Bit Torment” – not really my taste, but that’s just an opinion – a view
A Hot Topic
I am not going to say that the New York Times is copying my blog posts with “The New York
Street in Manhattan
That’s Max Hubacher’s title for this April 13, 1953 photo: Some mildly conclusive sleuthing: most of the visible company names
Not Actually A Toy
From 1907, a postcard of “The Block House, Central Park, New York”: The Blockhouse looks like a toy fort, an
A Subtle Hint
From an industrial building turned offices, a vaulted lobby: The vaults are quite shallow, which tends to increase the horizontal
It Takes Time
Yesterday, I mentioned the events at the beginning of Covid, six years ago. Today, we go back eight years further,
Random Memories
From just over six years ago, a view of Battery Park: At the time I took that picture, I thought
It Looked Unfamiliar: Don’t Quit Your Day Job
This series has been highlighting real buildings (and other structures) that end up as backgrounds in comics. Sometimes the artists
Variable Quality
I mentioned the Old Field Point Light – a 200-year-old lighthouse on Long Island – earlier this week to discuss