New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks [Paperback]

Christopher Gray (Author), Suzanne Braley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Christopher Gray's engaging tales of historic Gotham locales transport readers back in time for a stroll through the streets of old New York. The noted architectural historian, who writes the popular "Streetscapes" column in The New York Times, here gathers 190 of the best-loved of those columns to captivate readers with his wealth of information about sites and buildings and the intriguing lives of the people connected to them.

From the Bridge Cafe (New York's oldest surviving bar) on Water Street to the Revolutionary War-era Morris-Jumel Mansion in upper Manhattan, Gray turns the spotlight on both obscure and familiar landmarks, and each of his witty, urbane essays is illustrated with at least one period photograph. Gray's vast enthusiasm and love for New York's architecture is evident in all that he writes, as is his concern for the preservation of the city's architectural treasures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Having once been called a "building genealogist" by a stranger, Gray is definitely something more than an architectural historian. His "Streetscapes" column for the New York Times has taken readers through the architectural history of Gotham for 15 years, and now his book will make that journey comprehensive and just as immediate. Winding from lower Manhattan to uptown, the vignettes present an image of a structure-sometimes a garden or viaduct or something besides a building-with a revealing short text. More than 300 black-and-white (often period) photographs depict the lavish and strange interiors and exteriors of the structures. The combination of Gray's elegant architectural writing (on MoMA's facade: "After that the curved canopy was replaced and the panels were either all replaced or altered to eliminate their variegated, milky quality") with his gossipy and historical anecdotes ("In 1893 Delmonico's was found guilty of serving woodcock out of season") makes this an indispensable book for New York and architecture enthusiasts. Gray does a service for a place where, as he writes, "information is lost to local memory far sooner than in a suburban or rural environment." New York becomes a four-dimensional object with his revelations, a layered thing that can be peeled and examined in time and space.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Christopher Gray has been writing his "Streetscapes" column for The New York Times for the past 15 years. A noted architectural historian, Gray has also written columns for Avenue and House & Garden magazines and has authored four books on New York City's architecture. Suzanne Braley studied urban planning and business at the University of Michigan, and historic preservation at Columbia University, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810944413
• ISBN-13: 978-0810944411
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #900,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portraits of the city, April 22, 2005

By 

Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks (Paperback)

Some books on the older buildings of New York City will give you the nuts and bolts about the structures: who designed it, who constructed it, when it was built, etc. And some photo books of old New York don't tell you anything at all. New York Times writer, Christopher Gray, with the assistance of the untiring researcher, Suzanne Braley, actually breathe life into these buildings. Not only do we learn the who and the when of a building's birth, but also the why and the how. Why were white brick apartment buildings so prominent at one time? How did the Winter Garden evolve from a huge stable? It's the little and, sometimes, epic anecdotes surrounding the buildings that fascinate Mr. Gray which, in turn, fascinate us. This is an indispensible book for anyone who loves the city, and who has ever stopped in front of a building and asked, "How did that ever get there?"

Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New York, New York, December 22, 2005

By 

Shannon Deason (Houston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book, the photos are so crisp and the text is quite informative. I am pleased that the vast majority of the buildings the author chose are still extant. After absorbing this book, you really appreciate the great architecture and workmanship of the past, the more current buildings in New York just don't measure up. The author does her research and it shows, I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in New York, it really is a must have.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful description of the BIG APPLE, April 11, 2004

By 

Mark Johnson (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks (Paperback)

As a New Yorker all I can say is this is the best book I've read about the city.