Via endthymes:
Steven Holl, D. E. Shaw & Co. offices (New York, 1991-92)
Via radioon:
New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual
h/t Andrea
I might as well go whole-hog with the typeface and graphics theme today. I recently read the background story about this. The New York Transit Authority’s Graphics Standards Manual had the lofty status of urban legend, except that it was real. It just wasn’t circulated, or sold, as the intent was for it to be used by those who needed it in the course of their work.
Anyway, someone finally got a copy of it, and uploaded it, page by page, online. That’s when the rant began. Supposedly, as I haven’t checked for myself, the scans were too small to actually read any of the content. The goal of whomever uploaded it was to make nice web page layouts, or perhaps to optimize page load time and resource usage or such. However, due to failure to allow sufficient detail, the content of each page remained just as inaccessible as it was prior to being made available online. Of course, that might not be correct. If it were, it would be a particularly scathing indictment of style over substance.
Looking backward: October 2006
This weekend is time, once again, for the Caligulan orgy of real-estate porn known as Open House New York. It’s one of the city’s coolest events, when we all get the chance to traipse though mysterious architectural treasures around the city — abandoned churches, musty attics, monuments’ innards, and so on.
The High Line
A lot of the sites are open only to guided tours, and they tend to fill up fast. Among the weekend’s highlights…
Path to real-estate porn stars not found
At this point, all links to the past were broken
Instead, a slightly later post about renovations to the High Line,
including photos of red construction cranes and cement trucks, must suffice.
Alas, a similar substitution was required for the promised Real Estate Porn of OpenHouse Weekend New York (Manhattan) due to another broken link.
In lieu of high glossy spreads, redolent with decadently luxurious urban residential excess, I suggest perusing this delightful April 2009 field trip to the Greenpoint (Brooklyn) Wastewater Treatment Plant. That was an Open House New York event, the week day version. “Wastewater Treatment” makes it sounds much worse than it is. There is even a Nature Walk!
Lower Manhattan
That looks like it came from the Google Maps stereostropic viewer to me. I’ve never seen anything on Division Street look this good.(Source: chriswoebken, via lleigha)
Paen to conscientious and civilized Civil Engineering
This photo, via kosmograd, is a view of the Chrysler Building on East 42nd Street, between Grand Central Station and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The date attached to the photo is 2010. To the best of my knowledge, it looks the same today.
History
The Chrysler Building is an historical landmark, as publicly perceived and as formally designated by the U.S. National Register of Historic Buildings. It is 77 stories tall, with 8 banks of 4 elevators each. Unlike other skyscraper projects of the time, there were no fatalities during the two year construction of the building, from 1928 to 1930. The interior and exterior were designed in a beautiful and authentic art deco style. The Chrysler Building briefly held the record as the world’s tallest building, prior to the Empire State Building’s completion in 1932.
The land underneath the building is owned by Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an engineering school in lower Manhattan. Title to the land was donated to the school in 1902, with the express intent that revenues generated would fund full scholarships for all students of Cooper Union, located 35 blocks south, in Greenwich Village. When the owner of Chrysler Motors decided to build on the land in the 1920’s, he and all others who have subsequently “owned” the building have actually had 100 to 150 year lease agreements with Cooper Union.
Detail of the original Chrysler Building automotive eagle-styled gargoyles, and in situ to this day. CC/2.0/nc-sa/ by BobcatNorth, on Flickr
Now
By 1998, the Chrysler Building needed some work. Renovations were arranged and overseen by Tishman-Speyer, a New York property management company. Improvements included the Edward Turnbull mural on the lobby ceiling, entitled Energy, Result, Workmanship and Transportation, which underwent a museum-quality restoration. Measuring approximately 100 feet by 76 feet, it is one of the largest canvas murals in the world. All restoration work was completed in 2001.
The Chrysler Building still serves its original purpose, as a rental space office building. It still holds the record as the world’s tallest brick building, although the frame is steel. The brick exterior is not load bearing.
Cooper Union’s name remains on the deed for the Chrysler Building. Associated revenues continue to finance 100% of the tuition for every Cooper Union engineering student.
Southern Manhattan without power. Pic taken by Nick Summers.
This is no coy, sepia-tinted Instagram photo.
The source is FT Alphaville a.k.a. The Financial Times.
Flood waters are currently inundating the Ground Zero construction site in New York City
Stack Overflow appears to be experiencing some site availability problems too. I would prepare for some nation-wide impact on internet resource availability as a result of the storm.
Check Amazon status board (especially Ashburn, VA) and Google App Engine status board. Both should be indicative of any issues.
(via hackedy)
Occupy’s Architecture
X marks the spot via The New Inquiry
An essay on the history of Occupy’s architecture. Literally.
Travel back in time to old New York City.
