Stock Shot Project

The weekend is here and I took some time off to work on an on-going book project I am doing called, "Looking Up at New York".  Today I concentrated on the NOHO Historic District, the area that is north of Houston Street and below 8th and centered around Broadway and Lafayette.  Most of these buildings were constructed in the late 1800's.

The number 3 was part of 1873 written across the building for the date this building was constructed.  It was originally the home of Brooks Brothers in New York. 

I always wonder what the architect would feel if he could see his beautiful facade covered over by the later, intrusive addition of a fire escape.

The Cable Building sits on the corner of Houston and Broadway.  Designed by McKim, Mead, & White and built in 1894 it originally housed a large power plant in its basement for the Broadway cable car line.

These ornate Corinthian columns represent four of nine original living quarters and are all that is left of what was once one of the weathiest living areas of New York.  It was called Colonade Row or LaGrange Terrace and originally stretched from 4th Street to Astor Place on Lafayette.  Built in 1833 and designed by Seth Geer it was home to the Delanos, Astors, and Vanderbilts.

I liked the way the bright red brick of this building at 20 Astor Place contrasted with the blue of the sky.

You can read all sorts of symbolic meaning into this juxtaposition of the ornate steeple of Grace Church and the plain brick siding and humble water tower of a neighboring building.  The clouds in the sky cooperated compositionally by echoing the shape of the steeple and tower.