Chrysler Building

Built for auto tycoon Walter Chrysler in “Style Moderne,” the building was symbolic of 1920s in New York. In the summer of 1929, Chrysler was  competing with the  Bank of Manhattan Trust for the honor of being the “world’s tallest building.” A few years later in 1930, construction workers loyal to Chrysler attached an antenna-like spike to the top of the building, allowing the building and company to then claim the world’s tallest building status; standing tall at 1,046 feet. Chrysler personally wanted this to be the world’s tallest building, and wanted the structure to make a statement of the times and relate to the auto industry. As such, there were hubcap and elaborate hood ornaments decorations throughout the property. The Chrysler Building is said to be one of NYC’s best displays of Art Deco architecture.

New York Stock Exchange

Lower Manhattan’s New York Stock has a visitor’s gallery and self-guided tours. A tree outside symbolizes the buttonwood where traders once gathered to exchange stocks.

Radio City Music Hall

Upon the 1929 market crash, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. held a $91 million, 24-year lease on a midtown Manhattan tract in the “speakeasy belt” with plans dashed for a new Metropolitan Opera House. Rockefeller boldly decided to build an entire complex targeting commercial tenants, although Manhattan was awash in vacancy and despair. Partnering with fledgling Radio Corporation of America, whose NBC radio and RKO studios boomed despite bad times, Rockefeller also brought in S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel, a theatrical genius using razzle-dazzle décor to revive struggling theaters across America. Resulting was a theater unlike any other within the “Radio City” part of the Rockefeller Center complex. Radio City Music Hall has since attracted more than 300 million for shows, movies, and special events.

Empire State Building

Midtown’s famed Empire State Building, at 1,454 feet tall, was built in 1931 in Art Deco style with 2 million square feet of office space and an observation tower on the 102nd floor. Construction took one year and 45 days including Sundays and holidays with 7 million man hours. The cost ($24,718,000) was halved by onset of the Depression, with the total cost ending at $40,948,900, including land.

The New York Public Library

Origins of the New York Public Library, housing more than six million volumes, date to when one-time governor Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886) bequeathed most of his fortune — about $2.4 million — to establish and maintain a free library and reading room. New York already had the Astor and Lenox libraries, the Astor created through John Jacob Astor (1763-1848), a German immigrant who became the wealthiest man in America and left $400,000 for a reference library. James Lenox left his personal collection of rare books (including the first Gutenberg Bible to come to the New World), but it was intended for bibliophiles and scholars. Fast forward to 1995, The New York Public Library celebrated the centennial of its founding. How’s that for New York history?

 

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center, with 24 acres of underground shops and offices, changed the landscape of Midtown Manhattan forever. This became one of the largest and more successful urban planning projects in US history. This massive building project provided countless jobs during the great depression and restored the image of New York as one of America’s premier cities. Rockefeller Center makes an art deco statement too, with its deco-influenced architecture. Thirty Rockefeller Plaza was the largest and first of the BIG buildings erected, and stands as a focal point in NYC’s history.  Go here and take a “Top of the Rock” tour which visits the very top floors; city views from the encased veranda are endless! You can see everywhere across NYC and over the river too into NJ.

The Flatiron Building

Originally called Fuller Building, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper. Completed in 1902, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and sits on a triangular island block formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 22nd Street. The neighborhood around the building is called the Flatiron District after its signature building, which has become an icon of New York City. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, and was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, one of the nation’s largest houses of worship, is in Midtown Manhattan with seating for 2,400, and a pipe organ with more than 7,380 pipes.

Shea Stadium

Home of the New York Mets, Queen’s Shea Stadium was originally to be called Flushing Meadow Park. It ended up named after William Alfred Shea, an attorney instrumental in acquiring a new team after the departure of the Giants and Dodgers. Proximity to LaGuardia Airport makes Shea Stadium the noisiest outdoor ballpark in the Majors. Site selection was done in winter, according to lore, when flight paths were different than during baseball season. When a Met hits a homer at Shea, a red Big Apple rises out of a black top hat, although some say it looks more like a big kettle.

Grand Central Station

Completed in 1913, Grand Central Station is as much of an icon to New York City as the Statue of Liberty is. Aside from being a timeless architectural statement, the building itself is a huge transportation hub that sits atop layers and layers of train tubes and passenger loading areas for the subway trains that go in and out of the city. With the main terminal waiting room of over 16,000 square feet, this is a massive space built and later restored by artisans and craftsman from all over the world. Over 750,000 people go through Grand Central Station every day – Talk about busy! Come see this NY landmark building and see it for yourself.

Madison Square Gardens

Located in Manhattan, Madison Square Gardens or MSG is one of New York City’s largest venues, and you can see everything from major headline concerts, NY Knicks basketball and NY Rangers hockey games, to national political rallies and conventions. MSG was completed and finally opened in 1968, and is still a vibrant and active venue today.

United Nations Building

Over 190 countries respectfully take ownership of this iconic landmark that sits on roughly 18 acres of prime real estate in New York City. Being one of the more popular tourist destinations, the UN Building offers guided tours that speak of the history of the building, and the immensely important issues that are debated here among the world leaders that meet here.  This building sees over 1 million visitors per year, if that gives you any idea of how relevant it is.

Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

The very first stone of this building was put into place in the year 1892, on a cold winter day in December. It might shock  you to know that the building itself is still under construction today, but this is true! Aside from being an huge architectural undertaking, the building itself and the whole campus serves as a Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and religion and humanity services are provided here daily. Not just a landmark building, but an active entity inspiring many.