New York
Exhibition Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: Hidden Furniture Masterpieces in New York
Today I went to a very unusual exhibition — one that can easily be described as “widely known in narrow circles.” Unusual because it’s about an architectural firm, yet features almost no architecture. It’s about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) — the legendary architecture practice behind skyscrapers, airports, and half of corporate America in the…
Chesley Bonestell: An Illustration of Atomic Catastrophe in New York
I was recently on a submarine… (who would have thought I’d ever write those words) …at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. In addition to the submarine itself, there’s a small exhibition about the broader context: the Cold War and nuclear weapons. On the wall hung this drawing — so strikingly realistic it looked…
The “Chernobyl” Tapestry at the UN Headquarters, New York
In almost two months (April 26), it will mark 40 years since the Chernobyl disaster. That’s why I remembered how, during a tour of the main building of the United Nations, I saw a massive tapestry dedicated to the worst nuclear catastrophe in human history. The tapestry, titled “Chernobyl” and measuring approximately 10 × 4…
The Copper: Residential Skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York
The Copper📍 626 1st Ave is a pair of residential skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York, located near the United Nations Headquarters. The architecture of the complex is elegant yet dynamic. Floor-to-ceiling glass and copper shimmering in the sunlight give the building its name, The Copper. The exterior features a patina — the greenish layer that…
VIA 57 West in New York: A Pyramid or a Skyscraper?
Walking along the Hudson, it’s impossible not to notice this unusual building. VIA 57 West is one of the most extravagant structures in New York City. It’s easy to spot in photos — it looks like a skyscraper bent into the shape of a pyramid. VIA 57 West was designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels…
Cargo E-Bikes in New York City
I can’t contain my love for the new little electric vehicles that have been appearing around New York City over the past couple of years. They remind of tuk-tuks. Only instead of carrying cheerful tourists, they help deliver millions of packages every single day. What’s especially interesting is that many of them are hybrids: they…
The Berlin Wall in New York
Did you know that there’s a fragment of the Berlin Wall in New York? In the Battery Park area, you can find a section of the famous wall covered with graffiti by Thierry Noir — the first street artist to begin painting on the Berlin Wall. This nearly 4-meter (12-foot) segment was gifted to the…
The history of New York’s Jewish community
The story of the United States — and New York in particular — has been tied to immigration from the very beginning. And, paradoxically, to fierce battles between different groups of immigrants themselves. One of the earliest and most revealing episodes unfolded in the spring of 1654. A fairly ordinary merchant ship pulled into the…
Celestial Passage — the largest light installation in the US
Not long ago, we wrote about a new high-tech skyscraper in the US — the JPMorgan Chase Tower — which became the most expensive building in the world built without direct government funding. The tower didn’t just add another silhouette to the New York skyline — it fundamentally changed how the city looks at night,…