Customer Reviews

AIA Guide to New York City

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a wonderful guide to many of the thousands of buildings in New York City. It is not, however, strictly an architectural piece. A study of the significant edifices in Manhattan this is not, since the photographs are mostly the size of postage stamps, and the text is limited. What it is is likely the most complete guide to the significant and not-so-significant buildings and monuments in New York's five major boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island). The most surprising aspect of this book is its sheer size and complexity. There are hundreds of small photographs (all in clear black-and-white) of nearly every building mentionned, and dozens of others of a more substantial size. There are also over 100 maps of each area, in sufficient detail to be useful for navigation, and a compehensive glossary and index.

Overall, this is a monumental book, and one which is definitely worth the price for anyone who is interested in the landscape of one of the most exciting cities in the world - New York. For the type of book it attempts to be, The Forth Edition AIA Guide to New York City is virtually without flaw.

With any guide of this type, there is the dilemma of whether to cover briefly as many buildings as possible, or to cover relatively few buildings in greater depth. This book opted to maximize the number of buildings covered, about 5000 in all, each of which has a 1 x ¾ inch photo and a description that is often a single sentence. Those seeking a more intense treatment of individual buildings will not be satisfied. The emphasis here is on quantity of buildings covered, and of these, roughly half are beyond Manhattan Island. The book, which includes many detailed maps, seems written for someone wandering the streets investigating these buildings on foot, but the very awkward dimensions of this book make it impractical to put in a pocket.

If you live in New York or you are fascinated by its architecture, you really should buy The AIA Guide to NYC. It is a remarkable tome, including more than 5000 buildings and 3000 stamp album style photos of structures in all five boroughs, ranging from Brooklyn to far Queens and from Staten Island through Manhattan and up to the extreme Bronx. It will hit your coffee table with a serious thunk, and provide endless browsing enjoyment. If you're visiting New York on a quick trip or want a selective overview, I discovered a new book that makes a good companion volume: The Architecture Traveler, by Sydney LeBlanc, which covers 250 American buildings. The author is evidently a New Yorker. About 60 of the buildings are in and around the city. It presents fewer buildings but presents a full page story on each of them. I bought both books: the AIA guide for comprehensiveness, the more selective Architecture Traveler for it's intriguing stories and for the rest of America, which it also includes.

This book is amazing in its depth of analysis and thoroughness of its study of the vast amount of architectural treasures in all five boroughs. As a native New Yorker (born in The Bronx, raised in Queens, high school in Manhattan) I was pleasantly surprised to find so many buildings that I admired to have a history behind them. A lot of little tid-bits are included in the book, for example did you know the park benches in the Battery Park Promenade are from the 1939 NY World's Fair? I didn't! Did you know that the same Guastavino tile vaulting found outside the Oyster Bar in Grand Central can be found at the Municipal Building at Centre Street? And at the NY Telephone Building at 140 West Street?

A must-have for anyone who loves New York. A true walker's handbook that includes suggested walking tours all over the city. Find out the story behind that old building you walk by on your way home to your Flushing apartment! I also found it fascinating to compare this third edition with the earlier "revised" edition of 1978 to see how much had changed and been lost. The 3rd edition was almost twice the size by the way! I hope a 4th edition is in the works by now.

Not exhaustive but highly portable reference guide for anyone interested in the architecture of New York City in general and Manhattan is particular. The shame of it is the most recent edition dates from 1988. Much has happened since then, and the contemporary references are frequently outdated. If your interests go back further in time you would do well to find a used copy. My own interest at the moment is cast iron architecture, James Bogardus' work in particular, and there is no better way to spend a day than wandering Tribeca and Lower Manhattan with the AIA Guide in hand.

I'm a new yorker who walks from home in the village to work in the world trade center. The AIA guide has opened my eyes to the buildings I pass on my routes each day. Now I just want to walk all over the city with this book in hand!

I absolutely devour the 4th edition, though I am familiar with all previous editons as well. As one of the Principal Editors of the "Guide to Cleveland Architecture," 2nd edition (readers: please seek out our great book), a lover of New York and this book type in general, and a professional librarian and architectural historian, I can certainly appreciate the gigantic amount of research that went into creating what is actually a massive volume like this. Therefore I forgive some details such as inconsistency of Index selection, some date inaccuracies (very, very little percentagewise) or actual typo's, or details such as some maps of which the lettering goes in too many directions. I do wish there were some way suburban areas could be included - for the "total picture." Perhaps a companion volume? But - wow - what that would involve!
The text has so very many splendid sentences, phrases, and attitudes I can really appreciate the strong subjectivity in this case. Our text was actually criticized by our main Cleveland newspaper architectural critic as not being sufficiently opinionated like the NYC book... I did counter-criticize that critic in the "Plain Dealer" in that there are reasons for more objectivity in an urban architectural guidebook but, I can surely appreciate the magnificent writing of this book. Of course I can't agree with some of it either but, so what? The point is this book gives architectural, urban design, etc. the major, major significance it deserves. They're sure a big part of my life! Bravo!
The book also takes on an even higher relevance after 9/11, as the entire fabric in that fair-sized area of Manhattan is covered.
Nothing anywhere near up to it (Chicaco's AIA guide is the closest I've seen) and there are times I can barely put the book down! Now if I could only get to New York more...

What can we say about New York that hasn't been said? It's an awesome place, and its architecture is truly astonishing in scope, diversity and importance. This book is a selective catalogue of the City's most beloved historic buildings, with a sprinkling of important modern structures as well. I say "historic" because this guide just happens to be that way. There are some conspicuous gaps in the presentation of important modern buildings, which probably reflects the artistic preferences of the editors, but all of the most well-known modern architects are appropriately represented.

This is a book for architectural historians, curious cultural tourists and general readers. The entries are many, so the words included with each are few. Readers are not treated to long narrative histories of imporant landmarks but, rather, to a book that is exceptionally wide and quite shallow. This is what one generally expects from AIA-sponsored guides, so there should be no surprises. There are tiny monochrome photographs with almost every entry, but their small size limits the reader's ability to get a good mental image of the building. Buy this book to take New York's lovely historical architecture with you wherever you go. And by all means, go to see it! No city on earth even comes close.

Latest edition is 2000, so World Trade Center towers are included.

I'm sorry that your first reviewer is under the impression that I'm dead; as Will Rogers once noted: "the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated". Modernism and historicism still live in the 4th edition, but that excrescence opposite the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (a great monument) does ill service to the Gothic Revival it faces. I suspect that you are one of the unfortunates under the spell of Prince Charles, a sorry amateur who should stick to the business of Kingship. Modernism and historicism can joyfully live together. Enjoy them both.

I have been a New Yorker all my life and thought I'd known it all. There were buildings/structures that I knew to be older than most and probably landmarks, but never got around to checking them out. Then I picked up the AIA Guide to New York City sometime in 2001. Ever since, I have kept it with me at all times: in my back pocket, my briefcase, my jacket... Sometimes I go to some of these places in advance, with the intent of looking at them after I'd read about them. Other times, when on my way to or from work or lunch, I will see a building, stop, and look to read about what it is. My hunches aren't always correct, of course: not all the buildings I think are landmarks are. But I always keep this Guide on hand to find out.