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…
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…