Mecca (Madison Square Garden nickname)
Madison Square Garden is often called the "mecca," a puzzling term to many today. However, the term "mecca" was first applied to the second Madison Square Garden (at Madison…
Megatall (a skyscraper over 600 meters or 1,968 feet tall)
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defines a building as “megatall” if it is over 600 meters (1,968 feet) in height. A "supertall" building is one over 300 meters (984…
Micro Apartment
In July 2012, New York City announced plans for proposed "micro-unit" apartments (under 450 square feet) for a city-owned building at 335 East 27th Street, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of…
Micro-loft
The term "micro-loft" was trademarked by Rosslyn Lofts (Los Angeles, CA), with a first use in commerce on August 11, 2006. The term "microloft" -- synthetic fibers -- had been…
Millionaire’s Building or Power Building/Tower of Power (740 Park Avenue)
The building at 740 Park Avenue (71 East 71st Street in Manhattan) has had many famous and wealthy residents. In 2010, New York magazine called the building one of the city's "Towers of…
Miss Brooklyn (proposed Brooklyn skyscraper)
"Miss Brooklyn" is the proposed Frank Gehry-designed 60-story skyscraper on the Atlantic Yards site. The nickname comes from Gehry himself.…
MoMath (Museum of Mathematics)
The Museum of Mathematics was announced in June 2011 for an opening in 2012 at 11 East 26th Street in Manhattan. The museum has been nicknamed "MoMath" by its founders, with a trademark…
Needle Park
"Needle Park" was originally located near the subway stop at Broadway and West 70th Street (Sherman Square), named in the 1960s by the narcotics addicts who used needles there. A February…
New York’s Biggest Little Zoo (Staten Island Zoo)
The Staten Island Zoo opened in 1936 and is only 8 acres -- much smaller than the 265-acre Bronx Zoo. The Staten Island Zoo has been called New York's "biggest little zoo" since at…
New York’s Eiffel Tower (“Vessel” at Hudson Yards)
The Hudson Yards development project on the west side of Manhattan (along the Hudson River) had long planned an iconic sculpture to symbolize the project and the city. "Developer Says $100…
Niggeratti Manor (267 West 136th Street)
"Niggerati" or "niggeratti" (nigger + literati) is a term of the Harlem Renaissance to describe Harlem's writers, artists and musicians. The term was popularized by…
Oligarch’s Erection (432 Park Avenue)
The building called 432 Park Avenue, at 56th Street in Manhattan, was completed in 2015 and immediately became the tallest residential building in the world. The 432 Park Avenue building has had a…
One PP or Puzzle Palace (One Police Plaza)
One Police Plaza (near the Brooklyn Bridge) is the main police headquarters. It is sometimes called "puzzle palace," a nickname originally used for the Pentagon building in Washington,…
Oscars of Architecture (Architizer’s A+ Awards)
Architizer.com, an online architecture platform, is a New York City-based company that began in 2009. In October 2012, Architizer announced that it would have its first annual A+ architecture…
Parabuilding
A "parabuilding" is a new building that transforms an existing older building. The term appears to have been coined by architecture critic Herbert Muschamp of the New York Times. (Google…
Park in the Sky (High Line)
The High Line was a 1.45-mile elevated railroad on the west side of Manhattan, built in the 1930s for commercial warehouse traffic. The High Line ceased to be used by 1980 and was proposed to be…
Parklet
The term "parklet" == meaning a small park -- has been cited in print since at least 1967. In 2001, Hamilton (Ontario) began "parking meter parties" at parking spaces. In 2005,…
Parthenon of Cast Iron (Haughwout Building)
The Haughwout Building, at 488-492 Broadway near Broome Street in Manhattan, was built in 1857 and is a landmark of cast-iron architecture. It was one of the first buildings to have an elevator.…
Parthenon of Wall Street (Federal Hall National Memorial)
A statue of George Washington stands outside a Greek Parthenon-like building on Wall Street. It's the Federal Hall National Memorial, sometimes called the "Parthenon of Wall Street."…
Peace Pentagon (339 Lafayette Street)
The "Peace Pentagon" at 339 Lafayette Street (Manhattan) is owned by the AJ Muste Memorial Institute. Many peace activist groups have had offices in the building. AJ Muste Memorial…