Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Facadism


Look up from any street in New York and you're greeted by a diversity of building facades that few other places on the planet can match. I wish I had had more time on-site to appreciate the sights for a little longer. As it was, I took this picture as part of a series on my rapid walk back to the hotel after my interview. I held my laptop in my left hand (in retrospect, likely not the smartest thing to do in Manhattan) and grabbed quick snapshots with the camera in my right.

Not the most thoughtful way to take pictures. But sometimes, that's enough to paint a quick picture of a very rushed afternoon.

Your turn: What story do these buildings tell? Does it matter? Why?

10 comments:

Shan said...

Is it just me, or does saying "Manhattan" somehow connote crime implicitly?

Sandy said...

They speak volumes, all loud and at the same time. Some of success. Some of poverty. Some of diversity, different cultures and beliefs. Others of closed minds and hearts. They speak with the voices of those that have lived and worked within their walls for the ages past and present.

I don't often look "up" when in NY. I tend to look out at the buildings that lie ahead of me. Thanks for the different perspective.

kenju said...

They speak of a time when architects valued craft and design and ornament. They speak of durability and standing the test of time.

Jennifer said...

great pix. looks like an old building... a law building to me. sometimes our greatest pix are the "spur of the moment, hurry up and catch them" pix. i took some awesome pix of the sun behind the clouds tonight but didnt have time to download them. i should have for wordless wednesday but i wanted to post other exciting news. maybe i'll do a photgraphy thursday 13 to say goodbye to summer.. yea, that's what i'll do... i've already started it...
anyway... architecture photos are very cool! keep on snappin those pix....

Karen said...

Carmi, how you find interest in things the rest of us would walk by is just amazing! When I see buildings like this I think of the phrase, "if the walls could speak" or something like that. I imagine they've seen some pretty interesting things over time.

Good morning and hope you're having a great day!

Prego said...

Those air-conditioners make me nervous.

feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooooo

(crash)


Old buildings rock. Nowadays all you get is sleek windows.

What stories do they tell? It depends on what block you're on. They'll either speak of Wall Street suicides during the depression, hookers on Times Square or one of several Yankees World Series parades (shudder).

p

srp said...

I read that the Woolworth building is decorated with gargoyles and intricate designs.... 60 stories up, where no one on the street could see the detail. I loved thow the modern lines mixed with the ornate, the old and the new; and how even in the Brooklyn brownstones, all in a row, there was such variation of design and color.

I certainly don't think "Manhattan" conjures up the word "crime" at all.

Anonymous said...

To me, these buildings speak of a time when architects could afford to design and draw highly ornamented buildings with the fees their clients paid... and when their clients were willing to pay to build such highly detailed buildings. (Most architects still value craft and design; otherwise we'd choose work that was less stressful and/or more lucrative.)

All those window air conditioners speak to me of change in climate, or in expectations regarding its control, or both.

rashbre said...

Great shot. I did something similar a while ago.

Best

rashbre

Anonymous said...

It looks cold and robotic...like the inside of the Matrix.