Shedies Awards (Manhattan’s oldest scaffolding)
Manhattan's sidewalk sheds are numerous, and can stay up for a very long time. In February 2024, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine started the Shedies Awards. The "winner"…
Showplace of the Nation (Radio City Music Hall)
"Showplace of the Nation" is the original slogan of Radio City Music Hall, cited from at least January 1933. Wikipedia: Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment…
Singerhorn (Singer Building)
The Singer Building (at Liberty Street and Broadway in Manhattan) was the tallest building in the world when the 45-story structure opened in 1909. The building was named after the Singer…
Skyscraper
"Skyscraper" was the name of a horse in the late 1700s. "Skyscraper" also meant a large, triangular sky-sail in the late 1700s. In the 1880s, in both Chicago and New York, the…
Skyscraper Curse (Skyscraper Index)
Many cities have a "skyscraper" (tall building) added to the skyline, but experience a downturn in the economy. New York City's Chrysler Building (1930) and Empire State Building…
SRO (Single Room Occupancy)
"SRO" first meant "standing room only," in the 1890s. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, "SRO" was used to mean "single room occupancy." Both meanings of…
St. John the Unfinished (St. John the Divine)
The Cathedral church of St. John the Divine on Morningside Heights (110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue) was started in the 1890s and is still not finished. It's been called St. John('s)…
Stairway to Heaven
A "stairway to heaven" is a stairway outside of a residential building, usually leading to the second flour. The stairway provides a place to sit, but many consider the architecture to be…
Staten Island’s Crown Jewel (Sailors’ Snug Harbor)
Sailors' Snug Harbor (or Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden) has been called "Staten Island's crown jewel" on its Wikipedia entry. There are landmarked…
Studio Apartment
The "studio" (or "studio apartment") is all in one room. It's usually the name for the smallest living space you can buy -- even smaller than a one-bedroom apartment. The…
Suicide Hill
"Suicide Hill" is any hill the someone goes down (sledding, skating, etc.) that could possibly end in disaster, such as getting run over by a car in the street. New York City has several…
Suicide Pinnacle (observation balcony at Singer Building)
The Singer Building or Singer Tower, a 47-story office building for the Singer Sewing Machine Company located at Liberty Street and Broadway in Manhattan, was the tallest building in the world when…
Super Tower (Supertower)
"Supertower" (or "super tower") is another term for a "skyscraper." The term "supertower" was seldom used before 1990, when the NEC Supertower opened in…
Superscraper (super + skyscraper)
"Superscraper" (super + skyscraper) is an infrequently used term for a "super" skyscraper. "Superscraper" was cited in print in 1962 (when it referred to New York…
Supertall (a skyscraper over 300 meters or 984 feet tall)
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defines a building as "supertall" if it is over 300 meters (984 feet) in height. A "megatall" building is one over 600 meters…
Survivors’ Staircase (Survivors’ Stairs)
The "survivors' staircase" (or "survivors' stairs") of New York City's World Trade Center are two outdoor flights of granite stairs that people used to escape the…
Switch Building (109 Norfolk Street)
The building at 109 Norfolk Street quickly has been called the "Switch Building." It literally looks like a bunch of light swtiches on top of one another. http://109norfolk.com/…
Synagondo (synagogue + condo)
Several New York City synagogues no longer have congregations to stay operating; the buildings are sometimes turned into condos. New condominium apartments are sometimes built around a…
Tar Beach (rooftop)
"Tar Beach" is the rooftop (often composed of tar) where one can sit and get a tan, as if on the beach. The term "tar beach" has been cited in print since at least 1941. New…
Telegraph Capitol of America (Western Union Building, 60 Hudson Street)
The building at 60 Hudson Street in Manhattan (now called "60 Hudson") was originally the Western Union Building. It was the main office for Western Union for many years, until the…