"Condé Nast Building: 4 Times Square, Manhattan, by Fox &
Fowle Architects, 1996-1999. This 866-foot tall skyscraper in the heart
of Times Square is what Bell calls "environmentally correct," with
state-of-the-art air quality and energy conservation systems.
Brooklyn Museum: Entry pavilion and plaza, 200 Eastern
Parkway, Brooklyn, by James Stewart Polshek, 2004. The glass and steel
circular structure modernized the museum's imposing 19th century Beaux
Arts facade while making it inviting and accessible, a suitable
centerpiece for Brooklyn's burgeoning hipster art scene.
Prada New York:
575 Broadway, near Prince Street, Manhattan, by Rem Koolhaas, 2001. A
wave of zebrawood is the centerpiece of Prada's flagship store, in
Soho. "It displays the merchandise, it doesn't sell it," said Bell.
Rose Center for Earth and Space: At the American Museum of
Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, Manhattan, by James
Stewart Polshek, 2000. This illuminated 87-foot diameter sphere, which
appears to be floating in a huge glass cube, houses the Hayden
Planetarium and Space Theater.
Apple Store, SoHo: 103 Prince St., Manhattan, by Ronnette
Riley and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, 2002, with Apple's creative team,
including CEO Steve Jobs and others. If you're looking for the Apple
Store on Prince Street, you'll be forgiven for doing a doubletake or
maybe even walking right past it. The exterior is a 1920s stone and
brick post office, with the original "STATION A" signage above the
entrance. The inside is distinguished by clean, white space and an
inviting glass staircase to a glass bridge upstairs.
Grand Central Terminal:
42nd Street and Park Avenue, Manhattan, by Reed & Stern and Warren
& Wetmore, 1903-1913, restored by Beyer, Blinder & Belle, 1998.
The famed train station's Beaux Arts Classical design is known for its
arches, clock, constellation ceiling and cathedral windows. The
building's beauty was restored in a project completed in 1998, and the
corridors were enlivened with exhibition space and interesting places
to eat and shop. Free tours ($10 suggested donation) sponsored by the
Municipal Arts Society, Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m.; meet at the information
booth on the main concourse.
Morgan Library expansion: 33
E. 36th St., at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, Renzo Piano, 2006. Piano's
expansion of the Morgan Library, a 1906 Beaux
Arts building designed by
McKim, Mead & White, is considered one of his masterpieces, with
glass walls linking the old and new.
Chrysler Building:
405 Lexington Ave., at 42nd Street, Manhattan, by William Van Alen,
1930. This building is not as well-known as the Empire State Building,
but Bell thinks it should be (even though it doesn't have a public
observation deck). It's a phenomenal example of Art Deco architecture
that is both elegant and fun, from the distinctive tiered crown, easily picked out from the city skyline, to the enormous gargoyles shaped like radiator caps.
Hearst Tower: 951-969 Eighth Ave., near 56th Street,
Manhattan, by Sir Norman Foster, 2004. This 42-story tower was built
atop the original six-story home of the Hearst media empire. The
diagonal gridwork and see-through glass panels, with no vertical
supporting columns, make this sleek design unique in the world.
Seagram Building:
375 Park Ave., near 53rd Street, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip
Johnson (design architects) and Kahn & Jacobs (associate
architects), 1958. "It was this building that transformed our skyline,"
said Bell. The building is a perfect glass box, elegantly proportioned
and set back 90 feet from the street."
