Little White 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,…
Living Room of Lincoln Center (Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center)
The Film Society of Lincoln Center opened the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center in June 2011. Architect David Rockwell called it the "Living Room" of Lincoln Center. Wikipedia: Lincoln…
Lollypop/Lollipop (2 Columbus Circle)
Two Columbus Circle has been called the "lollipop building." It's also been called much worse. People hate it. It's in a very important area, especially since the building of…
Low Line
The High Line is a public park that was made from an abandoned elevated railroad on the west side of Manhattan. Two proposed New York City public parks grabbed the "Low Line" moniker. In…
Luxury Liner Row
The largest luxury ships in New York harbor have (since about 1936) docked at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal, on the Hudson River between West 44th and West 57th streets, The nickname…
Mallsoleum (mall + mausoleum)
"Mallsoleum" (mall + mausoleum) is a portmanteau word meaning a mall that is dead or dying, or a mall that destroys surrounding businesses. "Monster of the Mall-soleum Monlight…
Marketplace for the World (Javits Convention Center)
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is on the west side of Manhattan, on Eleventh Avenue between 34th and 39th Streets. "Marketplace for the World" is its new, not-very-popular slogan.…
McGurk’s Suicide Hall (the Bowery)
McGurk's (or McGuirk's) Suicide Hall at 295 Bowery was torn down in 2005. It used to be a saloon and whorehouse. Several women committed suicide while working there in the 1890s, giving…
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…