It's now Friday night which means my first week at a new job is at its close. After a glass of wine, a long soak, realizing I have no blowdryer, going out to buy a blowdryer, getting distracted, getting dumplings, finally remembering to buy the blowdryer, getting back to my apartment and blowdrying my hair, I am ready for bed.
In this first week the question I keep getting from friends and family is: "What's it like?" and for right now: I don't really know. It's strange but familiar. Big but close knit. Lonely but not as unkind as I thought it would be. All and all I think it's too soon to tell. I think I've moved to this metropolis at the same time when many of my associates have decided to pack it in. Singing the refrain of "I just want to get out of New York" which, while refreshingly honest, does kind of put a damper on the excitement I would otherwise be feeling for a brand-new adventure. Personally, I'm excited to have a sense of independence again, even if it's in a place as weird and overwhelming as this.
But that's enough about that boring, personal malarkey. Let's get to the real meat of this blog: BUILDINGS.
I've decided to just start posting interesting architectural examples I come across in my day to day work, which usually involves site surveying all across the 5 boroughs. Most of the sites I work on are fairly nondescript, so I'm going to skip over them and get right to a few places I've been to this week which deserve a larger audience.
NUMBER 1: Baruchim Ha Ba'im. Also known as the Synagogue for the Arts, the Civic Center Synagogue
Probably one of the most interesting religious buildings I've seen in a long time. This Synagogue was built in 1967 and has some of that trademark formal optimism. Like a funkier I.M. Pei. Like a funnier Louis Kahn. The architecture feels like it comes from that version of the past where the future was going to be awesome.
NUMBER 2: The Merchant's House
The Merchant's House Museum is an often overlooked little gem in NoHo. Apparently the youngest daughter of a well to do merchant was cast a rough lot in love, never got married and kept the house as a pristine remembrance of better times (a la 1858) even as the area crumbled around her. I find stories like these always fascinating because
A) They come from a time when it's like "Oh you don't have a man to take ownership of you, you know like property? I guess you're an embarrassment. Let's all pity you."
Which...just...so...many..questions..there... and
B) It's not "period" furniture. This is the furniture. Like, all of it. That biz is rare.
Architecturally it's not all that unique for the era, but it's nice to find a place that is so untouched. Plus in October they dress it up like you're going to a funeral, it's a unique experience.
NUMBER 3: The Stained Glass Windows on the Bronx Zoo Station
Not architecture, I know, but I found this series of stained glass windows on the 5 train going up through the Bronx to be charming and lovely. They were designed by Naomi Campbell (not the one you're thinking of) and produced in 2006. There's an article about it HERE. They are brief and beautiful. The kind of drawings a kid might do about the animals from the zoo, but with a sophisticated hand.
Ok - I think that's it for now. Stay cool and stay tuned for more New York City finds.
Oooh that Merchant House sounds interesting! And yeah even though it's a "typical" era piece, it still ranks on the BADASS meter for being pristinely preserved. And I would love to check that ish in October.
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