The Architecture Of Manhattan

The oldest section of New York City is undoubtedly Manhattan. It is where many neighborhoods provide their own flavor, creating a multicultural stew. Uptown has its own distinct flavor and is strikingly different form the neighborhoods in the Lower East Side. Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, Tribeca, the East Village, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, the Flatiron district and Midtown all have something different to add to the ethnic, cultural and historical make-up of Manhattan. This is reflected in the architecture where Manhattan Luxury apartments for sale create with older converted warehouses and factories statements of their time.

Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan is home to the Trump Building built in 1930 in Art Deco. You can also see the gothic characteristics of Trinity Church, a brownstone structure built in 1846. For Beaux-Arts, wander down to the Alexander Hamilton Custom House. Home to the National Museum of the American Native and Federal Bankruptcy Court, its monumental white sculptures by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) stand in stark contrast to its grey granite facade.

Upper East Side Architecture

The Museum Mile is along Fifth Avenue is lined with former Robber Baron mansions. The Met is the 1901 residence of Andrew Carnegie while The Frick collection is housed in the former 1914 mansion of Henry Clay Frick. In addition there is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum rendered in the International Style by Frank Lloyd Wright as is the CitiCorp building built in 1972-1978.

For Art Deco, visit the Sherry Netherland Hotel while the Metropolitan Club (1893/1912) is Renaissance Revival. For something different head to the Barbizon Hotel. This structure, built in 1926 is an eclectic mixture of Italian Renaissance and Gothic with a few Islamic flourishes.  If you still want to see something that is very different, wander over to East 64th street. Here the concrete breeze block grill Edward Durell Stone House stands out like a sore thumb amidst the 19th century Victorian townhouses that surround it.

Elsewhere

In every section of Manhattan, architectural gems – or monstrosities, depending upon your point of view and taste, stand out. In SoHo, the High Victorian presence of 448 Broome Street is a contrast to the new Romanesque revival architecture of the former warehouse at 140 Franklin Street or Tribeca’s Romanesque and Flemish revival appearance of the Fleming Street Warehouse. In Midtown, the Art Deco of the 1930/31 Empire State Building is echoed in the same style used in the Rockefeller Center built in 1931-1933.

Whatever style of architecture you prefer when hunting for Manhattan luxury apartments for sale, you can find it. From newly constructed high and low rises to renovated former factories, Manhattan has it all. Walk through any neighborhood and you can see and feel the city’s past, present and even future in its buildings and their usage.