NYC Architecture
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Tag Archives: architectural photography
Odd Shaped
Sad Sunday
10.16.2016 – A terrible accident took the life of a friend on Sunday. I hadn’t seen her in years but we kept in touch through Facebook. She was so happy to be in California, traveling down the coast with her husband… We were probably going to see each other this coming week when they’d be in Santa Monica. I am so sad… 
The Prettiest of Them All
Approaching the subject.
Getting closer.
Well, hello lover…!
Let me see if I can get a long shot of you.
OK, maybe from across the street?
Can’t get the Crown but please admire the masonry. This the tallest brick building in the world.
Appreciate the details.
More details…
Salute to the flag! And here are the radiator caps…
Behold the Eagles!
The Crown.
If you love architecture and Art Deco, you’ll LOVE the Chrysler Building, on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, in New York City. The Chrysler was designed by architect William Van Alen and completed in1930. The Art Deco ornamentation at the crown of the Chrysler is considered a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture. It is based on features used on Chrysler automobiles. On the 31st floor, the corner ornamentations are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. The corners of the 61st floor are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments.
Another outstanding feature of the Chrysler building is its terraced crown, composed of seven radiating terraced arches. The entire crown is clad with stainless steel. The flush windows, the stainless steel crown, the spire, and the eagles were all fabricated from sheet metal shops on the 65th and 67th floor. Unlike other buildings, the Chrysler was virtually sculpted by hand. A true work of art. I think it is the most beautiful building in New York and perhaps the world, although I haven’t seen all the buildings in the world…
So, given my strong admiration for The Chrysler, when I was in New York this past summer I decided to photograph it up close, which proved to be VERY difficult. The massive structure is squeezed between other buildings and so tall that standing across the street from it won’t allow you to shoot its whole extension. You can get the building but not its beautiful crown. And when you get the crown, you cut half of the building. That’s why I decided to photograph it in parts. I also didn’t have my 300mm lens with me on that trip so I wasn’t able to get some of the details as I would have liked. C’est la vie! I still owe it to myself a decent set of pics of The Chrysler, which shall happen the next time I’m in the Big Apple.
Our Lady of the Angels
Last week I took advantage of the fact that I had to be downtown to also visit and photograph a few of LA’s landmarks. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was one of them.
In 1996, renowned Spanish architect José Rafael Moneo was commissioned to design a new cathedral for Los Angeles to replace the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, severely damaged during the 1994 earthquake. The fact that the 5.6 acre site overlooked the Hollywood Freeway did not deter Moneo. Just as many European Cathedrals are built near rivers, Moneo considered the freeway as Los Angeles’ river of transportation, the connection of people to each other.
Using elements of postmodern architecture, the church and the Cathedral Center feature a series of acute and obtuse angles while avoiding right angles. The tapestries that adorn the cathedral walls were created by artist John Nava. This is the largest collection hanging in a Catholic place of worship in the United States. The “Communion of Saints” consists of females and males of all ages, races, occupations and vocations the world over. Saints from the Renaissance period are intermingled with people from the 1st century and the 20th century.
The cathedral was almost empty and very quiet when I visited. I wonder what it’s like to be there for mass when it’s filled to capacity, on Christmas, Easter, and other holidays.
All Cleaned Up
The Walt Disney Concert Hall, one of Frank Gehry’s architectural wonders and my favorite building in LA, was getting a much needed bath today, just in time for Opera and Concert season openings. I thought I’d document it. 🙂 
“Oculus”
“Oculus,” is a giant white metal structure that houses the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub and a huge Westfield mall. Its creator, Spanish neofuturistic architect Santiago Calatrava, wanted the structure to look like a bird being released from a child’s hands. The complex has a train station with a large and open mezzanine under the National September 11 Memorial plaza. This mezzanine is connected to an aboveground structure –the Oculus– located between 2 World Trade Center and 3 World Trade Center—as well as to public concourses under the various towers in the World Trade Center complex. The building has become a major tourist attraction and the space is very pleasant, with great shops, and the “Eataly,” on the third floor of the Mall, is a good option for quick meals, coffee, drinks, and even some food/home shopping. I wish I had more time to explore the whole complex, but that will have to wait for another time… Here are some images of Oculus.
On Top of The World
The One World Observatory, on the 102nd floor of the beautiful new One World Trade Center offers spectacular views of Lower Manhattan and Midtown. Thick glasses, harsh light, reflections, and hordes of people are not conducive to good photography, but I had a lot of fun, especially finding subjects and points of view where no one else would… 🙂
Weekly Photo Challenge: Mirror
Mirrored images, from mirrors and reflections, including this photographer in a couple of them. 🙂
Weekly Photo Challenge: Mirror
Weekly Photo Challenge: Details (I) – Architectural
Detail of the Broad Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Detail of the Getty Center building, Los Angeles, CA.
Detail of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA.
Detail of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, France.
Shoot 'N Go 