Smith Tower stands at 38 story (484ft/147.52m) in Pioneer Square and was completed in 1914. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. In 1931, Kansas city Power and Light became the tallest building and in 1962 the Space Needle took the title. Continue reading
Architecture
The Dream Garden
By Washington Square in the Curtis building is a 15 by 49 foot favrile glass mosaic. The light and colors were brought to you by the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany. The mosaic is based on a painting by Maxfield Parish.
Loew’s Wonder Theatres – Loew’s Jersey
The Loew’s Jersey Theatre is one of the five Loew’s Wonder Theaters in the NY area. It was designed by architectural firm Rapp and Rapp like Kings Theatre, their sister theater. The Jersey theater opened to the public in 1929 in Journal Square, Jersey City. The building is built in Baroque/Rocco style. In 2009 it was designated a New Jersey Registered Historic Site. You met the sister theatre in our post here. Continue reading
Lyndhurst Mansion
The Jay Gould Estate, also known as Lyndhurst, was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1838. The estate is located in Tarrytown, NY which is one of our favorite destinations for day trips. It’s about a 35 to 44 minute Metro-North train ride from Grand Central depending if you take the express or local train. It’s also my favorite train route and if you read my posts regularly, you know I love trains, choo choo! Continue reading
Grace Cathedral
In one of San Francisco’s hilliest sections sits Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal Cathedral. It was founded in 1849 during the California Gold Rush. It’s an amazing structure and one of our favorite places to visit. Continue reading
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire 106th Anniversary
March 25, 1911 was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in NYC and one of the deadliest in US history. It occurred at Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at 23-29 Washington Place in Greenwich Village. 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men died. Some jumped to their deaths because entrances were blocked, others died from smoke inhalation, falling, and fire. The oldest victim was Providenza Panno, 43 and the youngest Kate Leone and Rosaria “Sara” Maltese, 14. Most garment workers were Jewish and Italian immigrants. Continue reading
Grand Central Terminal Behind the Scenes
We’ve been eying this tour since the summer. We read it gets really hot in some areas so we waited for cooler weather to go. Behind the Scenes Grand Central Tour is one of our favorites. We booked it through New York Adventure Club which is one of our favorite off the beaten path local tour companies. Continue reading
St. John the Divine
St. John the Divine is the oldest building in Morningside Heights and one of the largest churches in the world. The cathedral was never completed. They have the largest rose window in the United States. Originally, the cathedral was supposed to be designed in a Byzantine – Romanesque Revival style but was changed in 1909 to Gothic Revival. It was designed in 1888 and work began in 1892, it’s design has gone through a lot of changes and construction was interrupted in WWI & WWII. They are often referred to as St John the Unfinished due to its ongoing construction work and renovations. Continue reading
City Hall
Philadelphia’s City Hall is one of our favorite buildings. It’s the most ornate and largest City Hall in the country and was almost torn down two times. It’s located at 1 Penn Square and was the tallest building in the world from 1894 to 1908 surpassing the Eiffel Tower and Washington monuments. It remained the tallest building in Philly until the construction of 1 Liberty Place that formally ended the gentlemen’s agreement limiting the height of the city’s buildings (no building was built taller than City Hall until Liberty Place was constructed 1984-1987). Continue reading
Notre Dame Basilica
Notre Dame Basilica is located in Old Montreal. The basilica had a few incarnations. The version we see today was designed by New York based architect James O’Donnell, an Irish Protestant. The first stone was laid on September 1, 1824. When construction was finished, Notre Dame was the largest church in North America for over 50 years. Continue reading