The Race to the Sky

From left to right: 40 Wall Street, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building

Before there were the tall building of New York City the tallest structure in the world was The Eiffel Tower since 1886 standing at 1,063 feet tall. 

It is not until the Art Deco period of the 1930s does New York architecture surpass the tower of France. 

During my tour it is not uncommon for me to ask my groups if they know which of the three buildings, 40 Wall Street, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, is the first one to surpass the Parisian edifice and in what order?

Do you think you know the answer? 

While researching this bit of history, there are varying versions as it is known to some as ‘The Race to the Sky.’ I enjoyed the novel by Neal Bascomb called ‘Higher’ I found it so interesting as it was the height of the Great Depression when these buildings begin to become icons of this great city and the United States.

The competition was between the egos of the developers, Walter Chrysler, engineer and automobile manufacture hence the Chrysler Building and The Manhattan Company, headquarters for the Bank of Manhattan Trust Company, known by its address, 40 Wall Street. 

Walter Chrysler joined forces with architect William Van Alen and 40 Wall Street, the architect Craig Severance. Van Alen and Severance had been partners for about ten years and they were getting critical acclaim for their work; however, the articles more times than not would begin “William Van Alen and Craig Severance,” yet Van Alen was getting the credit as a contemporary designer where as Severance more of a classicist. It caused a rift between they two and they severed their professional relationship by 1924. This fuels the fire for contemporary technology in architecture and the egos involved. 

The Empire State Building jumped into the race backed by General Motors, a direct competitor to the Chrysler Corporation. Cars, cars, cars, and money drives the skyline of this city. 

It is an epic story, it plays out in the court system, the newspapers, and the public as they witness these building climb higher, and higher a mantra by egos and fists beating table tops to go HIGHER. 

Join me at One Token Tours to get the rest of the story. Stay tuned to learn which building is the first one. 

Hidden Gems - Community Gardens

There are many people that think of NYC as a ‘concrete jungle.’ 

Well, that is until people visit Central Park, particular north of the Bethesda Terrace which feels very Victorian in design to me. Central Park is a project won by Culvert Vaux & Frederick Olmsted in the 1850s. It is considered The City’s backyard. 

Bethesda Terrace, Central Park 

Once you get into the area known as The Ramble, you get a feeling of being in the woods, maybe not the woods but an idea of the natural terrain of the island before it had all of the tall buildings; one of the concepts of the design of the park. 

Fast forward to the plight of the 1970s. New York City was in decline. There were burned out buildings. My neighborhood, became in large part a ‘squatters village and tent city.’ Particularly in and around Tompkins Square Park, in Alphabet City.  

Out of this comes a movement of community gardens within empty, abandoned lots peppered throughout neighborhoods like the East Village. 

These community gardens were for many individuals a places to plant flowers, or small box gardens, goldfish ponds, sculptures and a variety of trees to relieve the stress of the hard times.

Once The City began to rebound, developers became interested and these small community areas became territorial battlegrounds. 

Liz Christy, a leader of this grassroots (pun not intended) movement to solve some of the issues of urban decay. Banded together with a group that became known as the Green Guerillas: To get people working together to stabilize their city blocks. 

Today, these are little hidden gems in neighborhoods around The City that provide respite from the busy streets, a place of solitude, and meditation - supplies a place for creativity. 

Left photo, Miracle Community Garden, Top, Garden on Bleeker St., Bottom, Marble Cemetery

When people say that they are looking for a guide, they say that they want to see where the ‘New Yorkers’ hangout. Here, One Token Tours we can customize just for you.

Flatiron Building

The Fuller building is a result of the past merging with the present. 

It became known as the Flatiron Building. 

Working with kids, I often ask if they know what a flatiron is, and the answer I get from a fourteen year old is, “it is what I used to straighten my hair.” 

I have to explain, “a flatiron is a triangle cast iron, iron, used when New York City was the center of the garment district.” 

The Fuller Building sits on the crossroads of 5th Avenue and 23rd Street. Within the concept of the Grid Plan of 1811. Broadway does not conform to the grid because it follows the Native American Indian trial familiar to everyone at the time. It cuts a rectangle into a triangle. 

Technology was booming in 1901 and the Fuller Building becomes the tallest building in New York City at 23rd Street. 

The past dictated the reality of this building. It is one of my favorite stories to tell. 

I can’t wait to see you in New York City and share more of this story.