New York remains to be the hallmark of the most prestigious and iconic embodiments of the traditional and modern world. If you’re wondering how to be part of all this magnificence, visiting some of the iconic buildings listed below would be an excellent place to start.
While staying in New York City, make sure to find a good place to rent, before starting to explore the city’s attractions.
In this article, we explore the glory of Art Deco which has stood undefeated by time in NYC. Let’s dive in!
The Empire State Building
Completed in 1931, the Empire State Building is a cultural icon. This famous structure, with its excellent architecture, stood as the world’s tallest skyscraper for nearly 40 years.
It’s so remarkable that it was named one of the modern world’s seven wonders by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza
With an appealing and imposing presence that blends modern Art Deco features while paying homage to the intellectuals and icons who molded modernity into what it is today, the Brooklyn Public Library is a homage to study and literature.
The entrance to the Brooklyn Public Library, which opened in 1986, is enormous and distinctive, with fifty-foot columns adorned with glowing light-gold sculptures.
The library was primarily made of immaculate limestone, except for its magnificent entranceway, which was made of smooth light material.
Its characteristics were created to symbolize historical literature personalities such as Tom Sawyer and Edgar Allan Poe, with the exquisite sculptor Thomas H. Jones’ name on the top of the entrance’s doors.
C. Paul Jennewin designed fifteen squares beneath Jones’ drawings that hold golden reliefs of major personalities in the evolution of science and art. The glittering silhouettes of famous legendary figures are likewise etched on its columns.
The New Yorker, a Wyndham Hotel
The New Yorker Hotel which was designed by Sugarman and Berger Architects was one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world in the 1930s. The hotel held one of the most ornately designed interiors of the Art Deco era with its 2503 rooms.
In addition, the New Yorker featured a private energy plant, a weekly radio broadcast from its on-site studio and an indoor ice rink.
The Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building was constructed in 1930, at the peak of the city’s skyscraper construction boom. It was the world’s tallest skyscraper for barely 11 months when the Empire State Building, designed by William Van Alen, topped it.
The Chrysler Building, with one of the most well-known facades in the Manhattan skyline, is a defining icon of the Art Deco era in New York City.
Brill Building
The Brill Skyscraper, located at 1616 Broadway on 49th Street, was intended to be the world’s tallest building when it was built in 1931, but it never was, and it currently stands relatively tiny in comparison to its peers. Its architecture, on the other hand, compensates for this.
The building’s golden entranceway, designed by A. E. Lefcourt, is a symbol of a father’s love, with the bust in the center patterned after his son, Alan, who died young while the building was being built.
Floral motifs atop windows and terra-cotta reliefs are examples of other Art Deco designs. Brill Building is well renowned for its significance in music history since it was the home of many popular music business offices.
The building has in the past played host to performances by popular musicians such as Frankie Valli, Liza Minelli, Elvis Presley, the Four Seasons, Carole King and Frankie Valli.
The General Electric Building
The General Electric Building, also known as 570 Lexington, is a New York City landmark built in 1920 and decorated in ornate features reflecting the energy powerhouse. It features lightning bolts, radio waves, and Art Deco faces gracing its exterior.
The RCA Building, designed by Cross & Cross, features an opulent, towering rooftop with blue and white spires that soar up into the sky like stalactites to resemble electricity and radio waves.
Its red brick and marble front are accented by silver lightning bolts and iron clocks, which are framed by exquisite brick fans. The inside boasts aquamarine-colored glass chandeliers, vaulted ceilings, light pink marble walls, and aluminum plating that creates an opulent atmosphere.
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
When it first opened, the Waldorf-Astoria was the world’s highest hotel, standing at 625 feet. Its Art Deco interiors are now a New York City interior landmark.
Due to various collisions, the hotel relocated to Park Avenue in 1929, making it more fashionable and the Empire State Building was built on the site of the old hotel in 1929.
The new architects were tasked with creating a structure that appealed to modern sensibilities while retaining the Victorian charm of its previous setting. As a result, the Waldorf-Astoria has become synonymous with both Greek classicism and Art Deco modernism.
Today, the hotel’s lobby is adorned with legendary images and draped with women’s sculptures.
Conclusion
New York’s Art Deco buildings such as the Brooklyn Public Library and The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel are a representation of striking architectural styles that tell the story of American History. If you’re visiting NYC, be sure to check out at least a few of these buildings – we bet it will be well worth your time!
