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…
Tenement House
The "tenement house" is believed to have started in New York City, on Cherry Street in 1838. "Tenement" is from the Latin tenere (to hold). (Oxford English Dictionary)tenement…
Terrace Envy (Terrace Guilt)
Terraces on buildings are expensive luxuries. Do people really have "terrace envy"? (Not yet as famous a psychological term as "penis envy.") Do people who have terraces suffer…
The Corner (23 Wall Street, at Broad Street)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: 23 Wall Street23 Wall Street or "The Corner" is an office building formerly owned by J.P. Morgan & Co. (later the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company)…
The Dinosaur (English Elm in Washington Heights)
"The Dinosaur" is tha name of an English Elm tree at St. Nicholas Avenue and 163rd Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan. George Washington is said to have walked by the tree around the…
The Elevated Acre
"The Elevated Acre" is the first downtown Manhattan park/private space developed since the 9-11-2001 attacks. It has cost $7 million.…
The Fashion Projects (London Terrace)
London Terrace is a series of residential buildings between Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth streets and Ninth and Tenth avenues in West Chelsea, Manhattan. There are many designer, photographer and…
The Little Chapel That Could (St. Paul’s); The Little Church That Could (St. Nicholas)
St. Paul's was still standing after September 11, 2001, helping the victims in that tragedy. It quickly earned the nickname "Little Church That Could" or "Little Chapel That…
The Shack (police reporters area)
"The shack" is the name for the police reporters' room on the second floor of One Police Plaza (built in 1973), near the Brooklyn Bridge. In 2009, the police department announced…
Togetherment (suggested name for “apartment”)
Many people have suggested that "apartments" should really be called "togetherments." "Inaccurate Euphemisms. Why are lodging to let almost always advertised not as…
Tombs Prison (and the “Bridge of Sighs”)
The Tombs prison was built in 1838 and resembled Egyptian architecture. The "Bridge of Sighs" was the bridge that connected it with the Criminal Courts Building. (The name is taken from a…
Trylon and Perisphere (1939); Unisphere (1964)
The Trylon and Perisphere were built for the 1939-40 World's Fair. The Unisphere (still standing in Queens) was built for the 1964-65 World's Fair. It's not enough for New York City…
ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure)
"ULURP ("you lurp!") is the "Uniform Land Use Review Procedure" that goes before City Planning, the borough presidents, and the community boards. Real estate is very…
Umpire 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…
UnConvention Center (Pier 94)
Pier 94 is on the west side of Manhattan, at 54th Street. It used to be a garage, but since 1998 it has been the "UnConvention Center," a mini-Javits Convention Center.…
Vietnam (Morrisania Air Rights buildings)
Morrisania Air Rights is a public housing project of three buildings in Melrose and Morrisania in the Bronx. The buildings were contructed over Metro-North Railroad tracks and the project was…
Vitamin N (nature)
"Vitamin N" -- for "nature" was popularized by Richard Louv in his book, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder (2011). Louv stated that…