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…
People’s Beach (Jacob Riis Park)
Jacob Riis (1849-1914) was a journalist/photographer famous for his book, How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York (1890). Riis attempted to expose the plight of the poor…
People’s House (Gracie Mansion)
Manhattan's Gracie Mansion, built in 1799, has been the mayor's official residence since Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia moved there in 1942. Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to live there,…
People’s Palace (NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building)
The Main Branch of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building), opened in 1911 and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. The…
Poet’s Building (437 East 12th Street)
Poets Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) and Peter Orlovsky (1933-2010) lived at 437 East 12th Street in Manhattan. Ginsberg lived in what came to be called "The Poet's Building" from…
Poor Door
New York City grants tax breaks to developers who set aside a certain portion of their buildings for affordable housing. An Extell building at 40 Riverside Boulevard, between 61st and 62nd streets,…
Post-It Note Building (15 William Street)
15 William (formerly known as the William Beaver House) at 15 Williams Street at the Northwest corner of Beaver Street in the financial district of Manhattan, was given a nickname by the AIA Guide…
Prostitution Park (Crispus Attucks Park)
Crispus Attucks Park (also called the Crispus Attucks Playground) is located in Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. In March 2011, the park was frequented by so many prostitutes and drug addicts that news…
Pumpkin House (Hudson Heights, Manhattan)
The "Pumpkin House" is the 1920s 3,144-square-foot home at 16 Chittenden Avenue, above the Henry Hudson Parkway at 186th Street, in Manhattan's Washington Heights (or Hudson…
Ranchion (ranch + mansion)
A "ranchion" (ranch + mansion) is a ranch-style mansion. The ranch-style houses that were built post-World War II from the 1940s to the 1970s were usually one story buildings and…
Rat Rock (Central Park)
Wikipedia: Rat Rock (Central Park)Rat Rock, also known as Umpire Rock, is an outcrop of Manhattan schist which protrudes from the bedrock in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City. It is named…
Red Square (and the Lenin statue)
A red brick apartment building put up in 1989 at East Houston Street and Avenue A was named "Red Square." In 1994, a statue of Lenin was added to the top of the building. A conversation…
Resimercial (residential-commercial)
"Resi-mercial" (or "resimercial") has been used to describe anything that is part "residential" and part "commercial." "'Resi-mercial' —…
Rock Steady Park or The Goat Courts (Happy Warrior Playground)
Manhattan's "Happy Warrior Playground," at Amsterdam Avenue between 98th and 99th streets, is officially named after New York Governor Al Smith (1873-1944), who was nicknamed…
SCRIE (pronounced “scree”) and SCHE (pronounced “she”); DRIE
SCRIE (pronounced "scree") is the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program. SCHE (pronounced "she") is the Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption program. DRIE is the…
Septagon (seven-sided bathroom in Central Park’s Arsenal)
The Arsenal building in Central Park is now used by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Arsenal has a seven-sided bathroom that has been dubbed the "Septagon"…
Shady Park (Andrews Grove, Long Island City)
Andrews Grove (49 Avenue between 5 Street and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens) acquired the nickname "Shady Park" from its large trees. Hurricane Sandy knocked down many of…