Visit to New York City – New York City, New York
2 Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by prominent modernist architect Edward Durell Stone. Opened in 1964 as the Gallery of Modern Art to house the private collection of grocery magnate Huntington Hartford. The iconic romantic modernist structure was famous for its windowless, white marble-clad exterior, Venetian-style motifs, and a ground-level arcade supported by unique, curved concrete supports. This distinct structural base earned it the famous nickname the “Lollipop Building” after a critique by architectural writer Ada Louise Huxtable. The photo captures the building in its historic state prior to a highly publicized and controversial redevelopment. After preservation groups spent years fighting unsuccessfully for its landmark designation, the property was completely overhauled between 2005 and 2008 by architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture.
The Times Square Howard Johnson’s (HoJo’s) restaurant, which was located at 1551 Broadway (at 46th Street) in Midtown Manhattan. Opened in 1955, this specific branch quickly became one of the most famous and highly trafficked locations in the entire Howard Johnson’s chain. Known for its iconic neon signage, bright turquoise facade, and classic menu items like fried clams and 28 flavors of ice cream, it served as a democratic, nostalgic haven for tourists, locals, and Broadway theatergoers alike. Over the decades, the bustling diner famously employed struggling, up-and-coming actors before they achieved stardom, including Lily Tomlin and Gene Hackman. The restaurant officially closed its doors for good on July 8, 2005, falling victim to skyrocketing real estate values and massive redevelopment plans in the area. The entire low-rise building was later demolished and replaced by a multi-story, state-of-the-art retail complex that serves as a flagship location for American Eagle Outfitters.
This is a stunning, authentic example of residential Art Deco lobby art, a characteristic signature of pre-war apartment buildings constructed in New York City during the late 1920s and 1930s. The artwork utilizes classic mythological and allegorical themes popular during the Roaring Twenties, showcasing stylized, elongated human figures, nymphs, and horses set against a dreamlike, geometric backdrop. Both canvas panels are framed with distinctively notched, stepped geometric borders, a classic hallmark of Art Deco vertical design. The walls are painted in a period-accurate blush/salmon pink, contrasted by a deep maroon entryway door and matching stepped molding on the ceiling.
During the 1930s housing boom—particularly along the Grand Concourse in the Bronx and parts of Northern Manhattan—architects integrated these grand, colorful murals into vestibules and stairwells. The intent was to bring a sense of luxury, theater, and modern style to everyday working- and middle-class residential buildings.
This is a quintessential summer scene in New York City: kids using a fire hydrant spray cap to cool down during a hot day. Opening fire hydrants (often called “pump sprays”) is a decades-old neighborhood tradition in NYC to combat intense summer heat waves. Uncapped hydrants are illegal and dangerous. They reduce water pressure for firefighters and can waste 1,000 gallons per minute. Adults can request a legal, FDNY-approved spray cap for free at local firehouses. The children have placed a makeshift wooden board or deflector in front of the hydrant. This is a classic tactic used to fan the straight stream of water into a wide, dramatic spray across the street.
Pictured here is Edgar Tafel, apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright and author of Apprentice to Genius, talking with Dr. Kenneth Reardon, Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. They are in the Old City Hall Building of New York City at a Cornell Urban Scholars event. A few months after this photo was taken, Tafel made a more than $3 million gift to Cornell University.
During this trip I visited the original Yankee Stadium (often called “The House That Ruth Built”) located in the Bronx. The image shows the stadium’s distinctive deep blue seats, upper deck architecture, and outfield walls. The photo was taken prior to the venue’s demolition. The historic ballpark closed following the 2008 baseball season and was subsequently replaced by the new Yankee Stadium across the street. On the outfield wall to the left, you can see the 314-foot sign marking the stadium’s famously short distance down the right-field line. The outfield wall features prominent advertising signage from the era, including multinational heavy equipment manufacturer Komatsu and Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun (読売新聞).
Jefferson Hall (the main administration building) at CUNY Queens College in Flushing, Queens. The classic stone tablet, framed by multi-globe bronze wall sconces, greets students, staff, and visitors as they walk through the lobby of Jefferson Hall, which also houses the campus Welcome Center. The biblical proverb—”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”—was deliberately chosen for the entrance of the college’s administrative hub to emphasize the pursuit of knowledge, humility, and higher principles in academic life.
A polychrome terra-cotta relief is located on the facade of the Park Plaza Apartments at 1005 Jerome Avenue in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. The panel playfully depicts an architect kneeling in front of a classical altar topped by the Parthenon. The architect is shown offering up a scale model of a modern, Art Deco skyscraper to the classical structure. This allegorical image represents the 20th-century architect seeking symbolic approval or a “blessing” from the ancient, classical roots of the craft.
Designed by the prominent Bronx architectural duo Horace Ginsberg (later Ginsbern) and Marvin Fine. Fine broke away from his traditional classical training on this specific project to fully embrace “modernistic” design, drawing inspiration from Manhattan skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building. Completed in 1931, the building was one of the very first major Art Deco residential structures erected in the Bronx. Its construction was delayed after a massive fire tore through the nearly finished structure in 1929, resulting in the building being scaled down from ten stories to eight.
The building is celebrated for its distinctive orange brickwork and bold, vibrant, glazed polychromatic terra-cotta paneling. In addition to this architectural allegory, the facade features dozens of highly stylized Art Deco animal plaques, including owls, frogs, and wolves. Recognizing its extraordinary contribution to neighborhood architecture, the building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
An historic concrete grandstand located at Van Cortlandt Park Stadium in the Bronx. The image captures a portion of the 3,000-seat Van Cortlandt Park Stadium, situated near Broadway and West 242nd Street. The stadium was constructed during the Great Depression as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program under NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. It officially opened on September 22, 1939, with an inaugural football game between Manhattan College and Fordham University. The grandstand showcases classic WPA-era Streamline Moderne architecture (a late sub-style of Art Deco). This is highlighted by the smooth, whitewashed concrete walls, rounded pillar-like pillars, and geometric, stepped parapets.
Following nearly 90 years as a historic focal point for Bronx track and field, school athletics, and community sports, the concrete grandstand structure reached an advanced stage of deterioration. Due to structural issues deemed beyond repair, the city moved forward with a demolition and eventual replacement project for the main stadium seating area.
This breathtaking, meticulously preserved interior lobby of Payson House, located at 91 Payson Avenue in the Inwood section of Upper Manhattan. Built in 1935, this residential building features a stunning example of Streamline Moderne architecture—the late, nautical-influenced evolution of the Art Deco movement. The lobby is celebrated for its sweeping, curved pink walls banded with polished horizontal lines. The entire space was intentionally designed to mimic the luxurious, streamlined interiors of a 1930s tropical ocean liner. It boasts highly polished, ornately inlaid terrazzo floors that create a glossy, reflective mirror effect, drawing visitors down the central pathway. The view is framed through a distinct, curved brushed-metal archway that transitions residents from the outer foyer into the main curved hall.
Designed by architect George G. Miller, the co-op building sits directly across the street from Inwood Hill Park. Local preservationists and design enthusiasts frequently cite its lobby as one of the finest, most intact hidden “jewel boxes” of pre-war residential architecture in all of northern Manhattan.