For my trip to New York, I found myself amazed by the buildings and the story behind them, and the history that they hold within their walls. Not only that but also the way they were built and how they became a sort of landmark and icon.
From the Big Apple to the Empire State Building, New York is very unique in its own way. People from all around the world travel everyday to see the city and its iconic landmarks. However, once there it can get overwhelming at how many things there are to see and how marvelous the buildings are.
New York’s architecture is a mix of modern and old, given the fact that most luxurious buildings in NYC were builded during the Gilded Age, most old buildings have their original bronze and copper details on doms or rooftops which are now oxidized and like The Statue of Liberty, gives the rooftops their recognizable greenish color.
These types of buildings can be found all over New York, but one of the most famous buildings with an original copper rooftop is the Woolworth Building, this building was built during 1910 and opened April 1913 and is still open to the public today, tourist even are invited to go all the way up to the top of the building to look over the city of Manhattan and if lucky enough even get to see a peak of NYC.
During the mid-1800’s, when immigration to New York was at its greatest, the state found themselves at a tight situation were they had an overflow of immigrants which led to many people to start living in the streets, and since most of the people that needed housing were immigrants of a poor economic status and couldn't afford paying rent in the expensive apartment buildings in NYC, they were moved to lower-Manhattan.
The scene changed for immigrants when a man called James Boguards saw the situation and took it upon himself to create the concept of using cast iron for entire decorative facades of buildings since it was less expensive than typical carved stone and could be painted to simulate stone, such buildings gave housing to immigrants in need since rent was more affordable. There can be found approximately 250 cast iron buildings in NYC, these cast iron buildings can be seen all over SoHo today.
Being able to see such wonderful buildings first hand, and to stand there and take in their beauty gives you a feeling of bliss that makes it better than just seeing them in various series of pictures, and sometimes pictures can speak a thousand words, but seeing them in person is something that goes beyond that.