Why the Church at Ground Zero Glows at Night
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was rebuilt at the World Trade Center with Pentelic marble, the same luminous stone associated with the Parthenon.
New York
The Tiny Park Where New York Took Down a King
Bowling Green looks like a small patch of grass in Lower Manhattan. Its fence still carries the marks of the night New Yorkers toppled King George III.
Why Tall Buildings Are Called Skyscrapers
Before skyscraper meant a tall building, it belonged to sailing ships, where the word described a tiny sail set near the top of the mast.
The Windowless Skyscraper Built for Machines, Not People
33 Thomas Street looks suspicious because it was designed that way: a hardened AT&T telephone-switching tower built to keep communications running through disaster.
Why the Harlem River Has So Many Bridges That Can Move
The Harlem River's swing bridges were built for a city where boats still needed to cut between the Hudson and East rivers. Most rarely open now, but they still have to be ready.
Why New York Still Uses Wooden Water Towers
New York's rooftop water tanks look old-fashioned, but they solve a pressure problem that gravity alone cannot handle above about six stories.
Why New York Still Has So Few Public Bathrooms
New York's public bathroom shortage is not just an inconvenience. It is the result of old comfort stations, fiscal crisis closures, maintenance costs, design failures, and slow public construction.
The USS Intrepid Survived War, Then Got Stuck in Hudson River Mud
The aircraft carrier Intrepid survived kamikaze attacks, a torpedo strike, Vietnam service, and NASA recovery missions. In 2006, its hardest opponent was 17 feet of Hudson River mud.
The Woolworth Building Had to Invent a Way to Fight the Wind
When the Woolworth Building became the tallest building in the world, its engineers had to solve wind forces with a bracing system tailored to its strange shape.
Why the American Copper Buildings Lean Toward Each Other
The American Copper Buildings look like two towers bending in the wind, but the lean helps make their three-story skybridge possible.
The Old Electrical Rooms Keeping the Subway Alive
New York's subway depends on hundreds of traction power substations that convert grid power into third-rail electricity. Some are old enough to become a service risk.
The Tiny Sidewalk Triangle That Refused to Become Public Property
The Hess Triangle is only about 500 square inches, but the mosaic in the West Village preserves a century-old fight over eminent domain and Seventh Avenue.