Air Conditioning Was Invented to Save a Brooklyn Print Job
Willis Carrier's first modern air-conditioning system was not built for human comfort. It was built to stop humid Brooklyn air from ruining magazine printing.
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The Nuclear-Missile Submarine You Can Walk Through in Manhattan
USS Growler was built to hide nuclear cruise missiles at sea. Now the diesel-electric Cold War submarine sits in plain view beside the Intrepid Museum.
How San Antonio Turned a Deadly Flood Channel Into the River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk began as a flood-control problem, survived a proposal to pave it over, and became one of Texas's most valuable urban places.
The Alamo Is Fighting to Recover the Battlefield Around It
The Alamo's famous church survived, but much of the battlefield disappeared under downtown San Antonio. The current restoration is trying to tell the full site again.
The Manhattan Apartments Built Directly Over I-95
The Bridge Apartments turned air rights above the Trans-Manhattan Expressway into housing, then left residents living over one of New York's dirtiest traffic funnels.
The Useless Lighthouse That Children Saved From Scrap
The Little Red Lighthouse lost its job when the George Washington Bridge opened above it, but a children's book gave it a second life.
The Hidden Roadway Under the George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge became the world's busiest motor-vehicle bridge by adding a second roadway beneath the one everyone sees.
The Skyscraper That Hangs Over an Art School
Central Park Tower's most revealing detail is not just its height. It is the cantilever that lets the tower hang over the landmarked Art Students League to protect park views.
Why World Cup Fans Had to Pay $98 to Reach MetLife by Train
MetLife Stadium was built for car crowds, but the World Cup turned NJ Transit into the front door of the stadium.
The Massive Oil Spill Still Sitting Under Greenpoint
The Greenpoint oil spill was discovered from the air in 1978, but it had been accumulating underground beside Newtown Creek for decades.
New York's First Concrete Building Became a Tiny Landmark Beside Whole Foods
The Coignet Stone Building was built as a concrete advertisement in 1873. More than 150 years later, it still sits apart from the city around it.
The Stepped Manhattan Building Designed to Keep Its Shadow Off the Park
Mercedes House looks like a staircase because a straight tower beside DeWitt Clinton Park would have created a much harder approval fight.