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The plaza at the base of the Union Carbide Building shortly after its completion in the early 1960s. The 52-story tower ...
03/30/2026

The plaza at the base of the Union Carbide Building shortly after its completion in the early 1960s. The 52-story tower at 270 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan was completed in 1960 and designed in the Modernist style, strongly influenced by Bauhaus principles.

With its clean architectural lines and impressive height, the building stood out prominently in its surroundings. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest building in the city north of the Empire State Building, surpassed only by the Chrysler Building and the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center.

The tower was designed by Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and was, at the time, the tallest building designed by a woman. Its design drew inspiration from one of New York’s pioneering modern skyscrapers, the Seagram Building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which had been completed just two years earlier only a few blocks away.

Originally occupied by the Union Carbide Company, the building itself soon became a model for many later skyscrapers around the world, especially across the United States. After several ownership changes, the property was eventually acquired by JPMorgan Chase. Although the building underwent a major modernization in 2012 to update its technology and safety systems, plans for its demolition were announced in 2018.

The demolition was completed in 2021. Today, the building holds the distinction of being the tallest voluntarily demolished skyscraper in the world, yet it continues to be remembered as an important icon of modern architecture and design.

The Barclay–Vesey Building with the Manhattan skyline rising behind it in the 1930s.
03/29/2026

The Barclay–Vesey Building with the Manhattan skyline rising behind it in the 1930s.

Here is a view of a relatively unknown example among New York’s “gone buildings,” seen from a rare angle. The L-shaped s...
03/29/2026

Here is a view of a relatively unknown example among New York’s “gone buildings,” seen from a rare angle. The L-shaped skyscraper in the image is the Columbia Building, which stood along the southern stretch of Broadway from 1891 to 1930.

Located at 29 Broadway near Battery Park, the 15-story structure was built between 1890 and 1891 by the architectural firm Youngs & Cable. It belonged to the earliest generation of tall buildings in Lower Manhattan and was in fact only the third skyscraper in the city constructed entirely using the then-new steel-frame structural system.

Despite this technological milestone, the building remained relatively overlooked throughout its existence. After a modification around 1915 that added extra height to its upper floors, the Columbia Building was quietly demolished in 1930 to make way for a larger structure. The replacement, however, retained the same distinctive footprint. The office building that stands at 29 Broadway today was completed in 1931 and follows the Art Deco “wedding-cake” style that defined many skyscrapers of that era.

One rather grim anecdote associated with the Columbia Building tells of a man who reportedly jumped from the top floor on January 29, 1913.

Several buildings visible in the background of the image also share the fate of disappearance. Among them is the Manhattan Life Insurance Building at the upper left of the photograph, once the tallest office building in the world. Directly to its right stood the Knickerbocker Trust Building. Both of these historic structures were demolished in 1964 and 1965.

A highly debated and emotionally charged topic today is the impending demolition of the Hotel Pennsylvania—one of the ci...
03/29/2026

A highly debated and emotionally charged topic today is the impending demolition of the Hotel Pennsylvania—one of the city’s most storied buildings. Opened in 1919, just one block from the legendary Pennsylvania Station—then the largest train station in the world—the hotel quickly became a record holder itself with more than 2,200 rooms.

However, the golden era of this grand hotel soon gave way to decline. Beginning in 1948, the property underwent numerous name changes and ownership transfers, moving between companies such as Statler and Hilton before eventually returning to its original identity. After operating for eight years as the New York City Penta, it was renamed Hotel Pennsylvania again in 1992.

By the late 1990s the building was considered technologically outdated and in need of major renovation. In 1997 the first demolition proposals surfaced. After the property was acquired by Vornado Realty Trust, plans were announced in 2007 to replace the hotel with a 68-story office tower called 15 Penn Plaza. Those plans were eventually halted, but not before preservation advocates formed an organization dedicated to saving the historic building and preventing it from suffering the same fate as Pennsylvania Station, which had been demolished in 1963.

In 2007 the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission briefly granted the building landmark status, but that protection was later revoked. In 2019, new redevelopment proposals were unveiled—this time for an office skyscraper designed by Rafael Viñoly rather than Pelli Clarke Pelli. The project, controversially named PENN15, would replace the historic hotel.

On April 1, 2020, the Hotel Pennsylvania permanently closed to the public, partly as a consequence of the worsening global pandemic. Beyond its many famous guests and film appearances, the hotel remains memorable for its grand lobby and its historic—though increasingly worn—interior spaces, which many believe deserved preservation rather than demolition.

These photographs from 1966 and 1967 show the final remaining buildings of the so-called Radio Row, a district in southw...
03/29/2026

These photographs from 1966 and 1967 show the final remaining buildings of the so-called Radio Row, a district in southwestern Manhattan that existed from about 1921 until 1966. The neighborhood was bounded by the West Side Highway and Church Street from west to east, and Vesey Street and Liberty Street from north to south. At its peak, more than 30,000 people lived and worked in this dense urban area.

The name “Radio Row” emerged in the 1920s, much like in several other major American cities, because of the many small radio and electronics shops that clustered in the district. Especially during the years following the stock market crash of 1929, the area experienced a surge in residents and small businesses. The neighborhood became a hub for inexpensive goods and services, attracting many people struggling through the Great Depression, similar in spirit to the makeshift Hoovervilles that appeared across the country.

Even after World War II, this tightly packed district continued to attract students and young workers because it offered relatively affordable housing in a central location. The Financial District—with its stock exchange, Trinity Church, major banks, and corporate offices—was within easy walking distance.

In the late 1950s, plans began to emerge for the construction of a major World Trade Center complex. When the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officially began planning the project in 1962, the site chosen was the Radio Row district. As a result, the neighborhood was completely demolished in 1966 to make way for the new skyscraper complex. Around 30,000 residents and workers were displaced when the district was cleared.

After the World Trade Center complex was completed in 1973, it became a major center of commerce where up to 50,000 people worked, along with approximately 140,000 daily visitors. It is widely assumed, however, that only a very small number of the former residents and workers of Radio Row were able to find new jobs within the newly built complex.

Here is a photograph of the newly completed Vanderbilt Hotel on Park Avenue in 1913. This 20-story building, composed of...
03/29/2026

Here is a photograph of the newly completed Vanderbilt Hotel on Park Avenue in 1913. This 20-story building, composed of three large separated wings, was at the time among the largest and tallest hotel structures in the area. Its address was 4 Park Avenue, located between 33rd and 34th Street. The hotel was named—quite fittingly—after the great railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, whose rail lines ran along Park Avenue.

In 1965 the building was converted into an apartment complex. During this transformation, much of the original architectural character of the lower floors was lost, as the facade was replaced with glass and concrete.

The church visible in the foreground is most likely the Church of the Messiah. It was built in 1839, though it only served as a church until 1865 and was eventually demolished sometime in the early 20th century.

In the background on the left, the spire of the Metropolitan Life Tower at Madison Square can be seen. At 213 meters tall, it had been the tallest building in the world until the year before this photograph was taken.

In honor.The World Trade Center rising above the newly built towers of Battery Park City in the late 1980s, capturing a ...
03/28/2026

In honor.

The World Trade Center rising above the newly built towers of Battery Park City in the late 1980s, capturing a moment when Lower Manhattan’s skyline was being reshaped by a new wave of development along the Hudson River waterfront.

Once again I turn to one of my favorite images from the archive. The view looks north along Lower Broadway around 1903....
03/28/2026

Once again I turn to one of my favorite images from the archive. The view looks north along Lower Broadway around 1903. The photographer stood on one of the buildings within the block bounded by Broadway, Maiden Lane, and Liberty Street.

The most prominent structure on the left side of the street in the immediate foreground is the rebuilt remainder of the Western Union Telegraph Building. When it was completed in 1875, it briefly held the title of the tallest office building in the world, though much of it was destroyed by fire in 1890. Today the site is occupied by the current Western Union Building at 195 Broadway.

Across the street on the right side, in the lower center of the image, are the buildings along St. John Street and Fulton Street. Rising behind them, slender and dominant, is the St. Paul’s Building. Completed in 1898, it was among the tallest skyscrapers of its era and was named after St. Paul’s Chapel directly across Broadway on the left side, which can be seen slightly behind the tower of the Western Union building.

The largest and most imposing structure in the image, however, is the Park Row Building, named after the street on which it stands. At 119 meters tall, it remained the tallest building in the world until 1908 and is today the oldest surviving holder of that title. While it occupied a commanding presence in this photograph from over a century ago, it has in recent years been surrounded by newer construction and is no longer as visible in the skyline.

Along the left side of Broadway, next to St. Paul’s Chapel—which remains the oldest surviving building in New York City—stood the Astor House. Opened in 1836, it was the city’s first luxury hotel and was eventually demolished in stages in 1911 and 1926 to make way for taller buildings.

Another striking structure in this image is the Home Life Insurance Company Building from 1895, recognizable by its sharply pointed roof. A jewel of the first generation of skyscrapers, it fortunately still stands today.

Times Square in the early 1900s.
03/28/2026

Times Square in the early 1900s.

This photograph is a particularly remarkable view of Park Avenue. Taken in 1957 from the area around 445 Park Avenue, it...
03/28/2026

This photograph is a particularly remarkable view of Park Avenue. Taken in 1957 from the area around 445 Park Avenue, it captures three notable buildings along the famous avenue in various stages of development.

The building on the left is the Universal Pictures Building at 445 Park Avenue. Completed in 1947, it was among the first major developments along this prestigious boulevard after World War II.

One block further south stands the tower at 425 Park Avenue, which occupies the entire block. Built in 1957, the structure rose 32 stories and about 118 meters. With its clear lines of the International Style and its massive footprint, it dominated the surrounding area and became one of the defining office towers of Midtown. In the image, the final construction work on the facade and the scaffolding on the southern side are still visible. The building was sold in 2013 and subsequently demolished. On the same site, a new skyscraper—also named 425 Park Avenue—was recently completed, rising 262 meters. Its design references the architectural language of the 1950s structure, particularly in the base.

After two more blocks of lower and older buildings, and another construction site below them, further skyscraper construction can be seen near the center of the image. This is the world-famous Seagram Building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Completed in 1958, the 158-meter tower became one of the most influential skyscrapers in modern architecture and served as a model for countless International Style buildings worldwide.

Several blocks further south stands the majestic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which at that time was still the tallest hotel in the world. At the far end of the visible stretch of Park Avenue, the Helmsley Building crosses the view and divides the avenue into its northern and southern sections. Its distinctive patina-colored roof and spire are clearly recognizable.

In the 1920s, as 57th Street developed into a fashionable shopping district, the Bonwit Teller Company decided to reloca...
03/28/2026

In the 1920s, as 57th Street developed into a fashionable shopping district, the Bonwit Teller Company decided to relocate its store from 37th Street to the corner of 56th Street and Fifth Avenue. The five townhouses previously standing on the site—owned by William Waldorf Astor—were demolished, and construction began according to architectural plans by the firm Warren & Wetmore.

The elegant yet restrained Art Deco building opened on October 16, 1929. Its otherwise simple facade was distinguished by intricate decorative ornamentation above the entrances and doors. In 1938, two additional floors were added to the twelve-story structure, and the following year the building was expanded northward with another twelve-story section.

By the 1970s, however, the Bonwit Teller department store chain was in decline. Company leadership eventually decided to abandon the flagship store on 56th Street. After nearly fifty years of operation, the store closed in the spring of 1979 and was sold for $15 million to real estate developer Donald J. Trump.

Trump had the building demolished and constructed his 60-story, 202-meter flagship skyscraper on the site: Trump Tower, completed in 1983. The redevelopment drew significant criticism, particularly because the valuable Art Deco decorative elements—many of which had been promised to museums and private collectors—were ultimately destroyed, resulting in the irreversible loss of important historical and artistic features.

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