Close To Home
From Angelo Rizzuto in 1950, “Broad Street.” It doesn’t instantly look familiar because we’re all used to seeing the north
Journal
Our work with old buildings has us studying a lot of different topics in addition to structural engineering – for example, architecture, history, and historic preservation – and we like sharing stories about what we’ve found.
An Advanced Method Of Doing Something Simple
This detail takes some explanation. This is from a late-1800s factory building. It’s a bearing-wall building with heavy-timber floors, and
Infrastructure
Not all infrastructure is hidden – some, like elevated railroads, is more visible and audible than most people would prefer
A Last Remnant
I’ve mentioned before the way that the numbered street grid was literally cut though the once-hilly topography of Manhattan Island.
An Ordinary Day
From Angelo Rizzuto, in 1959, a view of 42nd Street looking east. On the left, Grand Central Terminal, the Commodore
Little, Yet Big
That’s 65 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, an 1851 wood-frame house that had fallen on hard times. People at the
Even A Joke Takes Effort
From 1911, Cass Gilbert’s sketches of his father (top) and himself (bottom): From the Woolworth Building lobby as completed in
Caught In The Act
This October 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is titled “Aerial view of Manhattan” but it most obviously shows the Brooklyn
Boosterism
I don’t have an exact date for this photo, but the Temple Bar Building, the three-turreted skyscraper in the center,
Some Peculiarities
This map was sponsored by the “Committee of ‘92” and created by Rand McNally as a guide to the city
Possibly
The title of this 1958 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is “Aerial view of street, possibly Park Avenue, with raised medians
Look, Ma! No Hands!
There is absolutely nothing unique about a masonry flat arch serving as a window head, but it’s relatively rare on
Winding
This 1952 photo by Angelo Rizzuto is titled “Bdwy winding all thru T-Sq.” and it definitely shows Broadway and Times
What “Structure First” Means
I like “Why we need a ‘structure first’ approach to existing buildings” by Penny Gowler, which is perhaps not surprising
Fun With Telephoto Lenses
A lot of times, when I’m discussing an old photo, I’ll talk about where the photographer was standing when he
The Pause Was About To End
Another great photo from Angel Rizzuto, from August 1952. He was almost certainly looking from the Empire State Building; this
Lucy Moses Award: 486 Liberty Avenue
You can read about the building in the awards program: here. The short version: this was a very ornate police
It Looked Familiar: The Curve Before the Station
Even without the Silvercup Bakery sign, I’d know this view, from an old Daredevil comic. The tracks are the 7
The Black Tower
For all you Lord of the Rings fans, remember: Brooklyn is not Mordor. No matter what similarities may exist.
Sic Transit
This photo by Angelo Rizzuto, from October 1952, is listed at the Library of Congress as “Bird’s eye view of