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…
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…