Cathedral of Asphalt (Asphalt Green)
The former Municipal Asphalt Plant (now a sports facility called Asphalt Green) opened in 1941 at East 90st Street and York Avenue in Manhattan. New York Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981)…
Cathedral of Commerce (Woolworth Building)
Before there was a World Trade Center, there was a Cathedral of Commerce. This was the Woolworth Building - the world's tallest when built. It is said that the Reverend S. Parkes Cadman…
Cathedral of the Motion Picture (Roxy Theatre)
The enormous, 5,920-seat Roxy Theatre stood at the corner of 50th Street and Seventh Avenue from 1927 until it was demolished in 1960. Named after original owner Samuel Lionel "Roxy"…
Cathedral of the Skies (Empire State Building)
The Empire State Building (briefly nicknamed the "Empty State Building"--see above) is also called the "Cathedral of the Skies." This is a nod to the old Woolworth Building, the…
Cheesebox (Castle Williams)
Castle Williams, on Governors Island, was designed and erected between 1807 and 1811. It was called a "cheese box" (or "cheesebox") in the 19th century. "It (Castle…
Chippendale Building (SONY building)
The AT&T Building at 550 Madison Avenue was designed by Philip Johnson (who died in 2005 at age 98). The style was quickly dubbed "Chippendale." The building is now occupied by SONY.…
Chocha Beach (Orchard Beach)
Orchard Beach in the Bronx was opened by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in the 1930s; it was so grand that it was called “the Riviera of New York"/"Bronx Riviera." The beach soon…
Church of the Generals (St. John’s Episcopal Church, Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn)
St. John's Episcopal Church, 9818 Fort Hamilton Parkway in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, was dedicated in 1834 and was located near the United States Army installation at Fort Hamilton.…
Citadel of Chic (Condé Nast Building)
The Condé Nast Building (4 Times Square) was called the "citadel of chic" by the New York (NY) Times on February 26, 1998. The building houses such "chic" Condé Nast…
Condominium/Condo/Condomini
The "condominium" form of Ownership ("condo" for short) originated in ancient Rome, not New York City. However, NYC real estate has certainly popularized this form of ownership.…
Condop (condominium + cooperative)
A "condop" has some of the features of a condo (condominium) and a co-op (cooperative). The term is somewhat new. http://www.hudsonviewrealty.com/info/coopscondos.htmCondops Technically,…
Coney Island’s Fifth Avenue (Riegelmann Boardwalk)
The Coney Island Boardwalk opened in 1923 and is officially called the Riegelmann Boardwalk, after Brooklyn Borough President Edward Riegelmann (1870-1941). Both the NYC Department of Parks &…
Contextual Zoning
"Contextual zoning" has been a buzzword in the city planning community for about two decades. It regulates new building to fit the existing buildings in the area.…
Crown Jewel of Park Slope (Montauk Club)
The Montauk Club (a private club at 25 Eighth Avenue on the corner of Lincoln Place) was founded in 1889 and is considered Brooklyn's "crown jewel of Park Slope." The Venetian Gothic…
Crown Jewel of the Bronx (New York Botanical Garden)
The New York Botanical Garden (established in 1891) has been described as the "crown jewel of the Bronx." The NYBG's Enid Haupt Conservatory is sometimes called the "crown jewel…
Crown Jewel of Wall Street (40 Wall Street)
40 Wall Street (The Trump Building) is a 72-floor building that was the tallest building in the world when it opened in 1930; it is the tallest mid-block building in New York City. The building had…
Dakota
The "Dakota" apartment house, at West 72nd Street and Central Park West, is probably most famous today as the last residence of Beatle John Lennon. The building was finished in 1884. It…
Darth Vader Building (Family Court)
The Family Court Building in lower Manhattan has been called the Darth Vader Building by some. It's a gloomy building. http://www.downtownexpress.com/DE_11/talkingpoint.htmlMore darkness comes…
Destructoporn
"Destructoporn" (or "destructo-porn") is the filming or photographing of the destruction of a building. The building might have had some historic community or personal value, or…
Devil’s Playhouse (Webster Hall)
Webster Hall, at 125 East 11th Street in Manhattan, was built in 1886 and has held some notorious events. "WEBSTER HALL -- The Devil's Playhouse" was advertised in the January 1918…