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Outside of Trash and Vaudeville, St. Marks
The Chrysler Building: New Article
Chrysler Building Spire, 2010 by James Maher
I just put up a new article about the Construction of the Chrysler Building, which in my opinion is the most iconic building in the city.
The Gargoyles are probably the most talked about aspect of this classic Art Deco building, but I much prefer the metal spire, which can often be seen glinting like a diamond in the hot sun, or glowing throughout the night.
The building was the work of architect William Van Alen and industrialist Walter P. Chrysler and was built with an aesthetic of the machine age of the 1920s; particularly with the Chrysler automobile.
The building was part of an epic race to become the tallest building in the world, which began out of Walter Chrysler's personal arrogance. It is said that he asked his builders to make sure his toilet was the tallest in the world, so that he could "shit on Henry Ford and the rest of the world." And indeed he shat on them for the next 11 months, until the building was surpassed in height by the Empire State Building.
Peekaboo, Tattered Man, 6 Train
Don't try this at home. Definitely not the safest thing to be doing and I was only planning on taking that first shot. But when he started peeking at me from behind the pole then I had to take it.
Shooting people on the street is one thing, because if anything happens then you can get out of there quickly, but on a train is a whole different ballpark. Stuck in a metal tube with someone who doesn't like you is not the best feeling in the world.
If you're interested there's a great photographer, Matt Weber, who's been shooting in the subway (among other things) for the past few decades. His work is incredible and he has a very interesting and active blog going of his work.
http://mattweberphotos.wordpress.com/category/subway/
Street Vendor, Harlem
Horses Board by the Month
In an article entitled "Fading Memories" in 2005, the New York Times wrote:
"They are hieroglyphics of a bygone New York, writings on walls redolent of a time when women wore corsets, nearly every parlor seemed to have a piano and buggies could be hired for a genteel ride up the avenue once a blacksmith shod the horses."
Old painted signs, often hidden in plain site, decorate New York with wisps of the past, adding context to old buildings and giving us hints to their former uses. But unfortunately, many of these signs are now being covered up by new buildings and so it is as important as ever to document them.
On 109 West 17th Street there is one of these nondescript buildings, a pretty and subtly ornate three story brick dwelling that until recently was a Japanese furniture shop.
The building was once a livery stable from 1900 to 1905, owned by Patrick Logan, whose Irish heritage can be attributed to the stone clover leaves engraved into the building's facade.
The signs read "TO LET CARRIAGES COUPES HANSOMS 109" and "VICTORIAS LIGHT WAGONS HORSES TAKEN IN BOARD BY THE MONTH 109"
U.S. Army Recruiting Service Mobile Station, Vintage Photograph
My grandfather always wanted to join the army, but wasn't able to since he was deaf in one ear from a childhood infection. He was a very honorable man who believed in doing what was right and I think the idea of serving his country felt like a moral obligation to him. But I can't help and feel lucky that he wasn't put in harms way.
Updated: Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Article
I just did a very significant update to the Atlantic Avenue Subway Tunnel article. Added a lot of photographs and writing about the history of the tunnel and how it was discovered by a 20 year old engineering student in the 1980s after being hidden for over 100 years. It's an incredible story.
Bob Diamond discovering the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel entrance in 1980.
There are fairly frequent tours of the tunnel, which you enter through a small manhole in the middle of Atlantic Avenue, and it's by far the most interesting tour that I've ever taken.
The next tour is on May 16th. Get tickets before they sell out:
http://www.brooklynrail.net/bhra_events.html
The Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge
I just put up an article about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 19th century. It's an extremely interesting story, particularly because the bridge was completed basically by hand and on a scale that had never been done before.
The construction took 14 years and killed the main architect, John Roebling a month after it had begun. A case of the benz crippled his son Washington after he had taken over the project, while spending too much time underwater overseeing the construction of the base of the bridge. Washington completed the project despite not being able to leave his house for the last 11 years of the construction, only able to view the bridge from his bedroom window and using his wife Emily to relay information. Overall, 27 people died and a couple of major scandals almost derailed the project.
Also in the article are a bunch of historical photos and illustrations of the construction taken from the New York Public Libraries Digital Archives. A lot of wonderful stuff.
http://www.jamesmaherphotography.com/articles/26-brooklyn-bridge
Bird and Manhattan Bridge During Snowstorm
Well I was hoping to have an article on the Brooklyn Bridge done before I had to run out today, but it turned out to take a lot longer than I thought, as did the actual Brooklyn Bridge. I'll have that finished up for tomorrow.
In the meantime, I found this great image when I was looking through photos to put in the Brooklyn Bridge article. Actually put it in the article at first until I realized that it was really the Manhattan Bridge. Boo.
Empire State Building Viewed from the East Village
This photo was taken from a balcony in the East Village looking towards midtown. I love the different layers of building heights that quickly rise as you move towards the Empire State Building. You can really see the diversity of types of buildings in New York, especially with older East Village apartments in the foreground contrasted with the larger office buildings.
There is also the intimate feeling of the foreground apartment building windows, that gives a more comforting feel that you don't usually get in cityscape photographs.