The Building That Made Room for the Sun
At 40 Tenth Avenue, Studio Gang carved a glass office building around the sun’s path, preserving light and river views for the High Line.
Architecture
New York architecture explained through the engineering, design, history, and hidden systems of the city's most significant buildings.
Boston City Hall Was Built to Make Government Visible
Boston’s divisive concrete landmark turned civic ambition into architecture. Its next challenge is making that ambition work at street level.
The Water That Steadies One Madison
One Madison’s projecting glass apartments make a spectacle of Manhattan’s skyline. Hidden concrete walls and three rooftop water tanks make the slender tower comfortable to inhabit.
The Work Behind New York Life’s Golden Roof
Above Madison Square Park, a gilded pyramid projects permanence. Keeping it shining has required decades of repairs, material testing, and inventive engineering.
How 100 Eleventh Avenue Borrows Its Colors From New York
Jean Nouvel’s Chelsea tower turns clear glass into a changing mosaic through carefully chosen coatings, small tilts, and reflections of the city.
One New York Plaza: When a Skyscraper’s Lungs Carried Smoke
A deadly 1970 fire exposed the hidden connections inside a vast Manhattan office tower and helped change how New York approached high-rise fire safety.
Central Park’s Lampposts Hold a Clue to Finding Your Way
The park’s winding paths invite exploration. Small numbers on its lampposts reconnect that wandering landscape to Manhattan’s street grid.
The Small Broad Street Building With a Trillion-Dollar Backstory
Behind a familiar deli frontage at 100 Broad Street lies a chapter in New York’s transformation from paper checks to electronic money.
Manhattan’s Missing Alleys, and the Trash They Left Behind
Manhattan’s grid gave the city little room for backstage services. Two centuries later, putting garbage in bins means rethinking who gets space at the curb.
The Ceiling That Gives Bethesda Terrace Its Voice
Beneath Central Park’s Bethesda Terrace, nearly 16,000 tiles crown a passageway beloved by musicians. Its resonant sound has also raised a lasting question about public space.
Starrett-Lehigh: The Freight Terminal That Became a Fashion Address
Railcars arrived by water, and trucks rode upstairs. Inside Starrett-Lehigh, the machinery of Manhattan’s industrial waterfront helped shape an unlikely second act.
What Holds Up One West End’s 50-Foot Overhang?
Above West End Avenue, a glass tower reaches far beyond its base. The explanation begins with a triangle and ends with a swimming pool suspended over the city.