Walk in New York: juillet 2008

jeudi, juillet 31

Manhattan : Municipal Building

mercredi, juillet 30

Manhattan : Municipal Building

mardi, juillet 29

Manhattan : Municipal Building

The government of New York City was increasingly starved for space since 1884, when in that year's annual report, Mayor Franklin Edson declared that more space was badly needed. But he also noted that City Hall was not expandable because its "style of architecture was such that without marring its present symmetry, it couldn't be enlarged to the required extent."
The central arch was inspired by the Arch of Constantine.The City's agencies rented various buildings strewn all the way from Downtown Manhattan up to Midtown Manhattan, with the number of such arrangements increasing by the year. The government, desiring to cut down the amount of rent paid to private landlords, held several design competitions for a new massive building that would be suitable to house many agencies under one roof. Mayor Abraham Hewitt appointed a commission to study suitable plans and plots of land in 1888, and four competitions were held between that year and 1907. The final competition was held by the Commissioner of Bridges, who had already secured a new plot of land to be used for a new trolley hub at the Manhattan base of Brooklyn Bridge. Twelve architectural firms entered what would be the last version of the competition, and the winning entry was received from a young partner of McKim, Mead and White, then the largest architectural firm in the world with a staff numbering over 100. Despite such standing in the architectural community, the Manhattan Municipal Building would be their first skyscraper.
The building was first occupied in January 1913, and the majority of the building's offices were opened to the public by 1916. Various types of sculpture and relief were used, but the building most closely resembles classic Roman architecture, with the Arch of Constantine being the inspiration for the design of the central arch. So grand is this arch that automobile traffic used to flow through, but in modern times the shortened Chambers Street no longer continues through to the eastern side.
The WNYC public radio station was located in the building until May 2008. At present the Municipal Building is home to thirteen public agencies, employing 2,000 staff in nearly 1 million square feet (90,000 m²) of floorspace. A gift shop sells New York City maps, history books, and souvenirs of the city.

(c) Wikipedia

lundi, juillet 28

Manhattan : Municipal Building

The Manhattan Municipal Building, at 1 Centre Street in New York City, is a 40-story building built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of The Five Boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and ended in 1915, marking the end of the City Beautiful movement in New York. Standing 580 feet (177 m) tall, its highest point is the second largest statue in Manhattan. The architectural firm McKim, Mead and White designed it to be the first building to incorporate a New York City Subway station into its base. Enormously influential in the civic construction of other American cities, its application of Beaux-Arts architecture served as the prototype for the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, the Fisher Building in Detroit, and the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
Located at the intersection of Chambers Street and Centre Street, the Municipal Building is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world. It houses thirteen civic agencies of New York City, and 28,000 New Yorkers are married inside of it each year. There are 25 floors of work space (served by 33 elevators), with an additional 15 stories in the tower.

(c) Wikipedia

samedi, juillet 26

Brooklyn : Brooklyn Borough Hall - court str

jeudi, juillet 24

Brooklyn : Brooklyn Borough Hall - court str - cadman plaza

mercredi, juillet 23

Brooklyn : Brooklyn Borough Hall - court str - cadman plaza

mardi, juillet 22

Brooklyn : Brooklyn Borough Hall - court str - cadman plaza

lundi, juillet 21

Brooklyn : Brooklyn Borough Hall - court str - cadman plaza

Brooklyn Borough Hall was designed in 1835 by architect Gamaliel King, and constructed under the supervision of superintendent Stephen Haynes. It was completed in 1849 to be used as the City Hall of the City of Brooklyn. In January 1898 the independent City of Brooklyn was annexed into the City of New York and Kings County became the Borough of Brooklyn.
Construction on Brooklyn's City Hall began in 1845 and continued until 1849. The Kings County Courthouse was built in 1868, turning this area (now known as Downtown Brooklyn) into a government center and busy area of commerce. In the 1940s, the Kings County Courthouse and other nearby buildings to the north were replaced by a complex of courthouses and a plaza that stand in front of Borough Hall. A mall connects the building to Cadman Plaza Park.
On February 26, 1895, waste paper caught fire and destroyed the cupola, the top floors of the building, and water damage ruined the walls and ceiling of the Common Council chamber. A flag crowned the building for the next 85 years, until the 1980s when the building was restored and the figure of Lady Justice was placed on top of a new cupola. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 10 January 1980.

(c) Wikipedia