View source for Architecture of New York City

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{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Midtown Manhattan seen from the Empire State Building.JPG|300px|thumb|The [[Midtown Manhattan]] skyline at night from the [[Empire State Building]]. Shown are clear examples of [[Art Deco]] and [[Modern architecture|Modern]] architecture.]]
The building form most closely associated with [[New York City]] is the skyscraper, which has shifted many commercial and residential districts from low-rise to high-rise. Surrounded mostly by water, the city has amassed one of the [[List of tallest buildings in New York City|largest and most varied collection of skyscrapers in the world]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Emporis |title=About New York City |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/?id=newyorkcity-ny-usa |access-date=March 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309205144/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/?id=newyorkcity-ny-usa |archive-date=March 9, 2007 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

New York has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles spanning distinct historical and cultural periods. These include the [[Woolworth Building]] (1913), an early [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic revival]] skyscraper with large-scale [[gothic architecture|gothic architectural]] detail. The [[1916 Zoning Resolution]] required [[Setback (architecture)|setback]] in new buildings, and restricted towers to a percentage of the lot size, to allow sunlight to reach the streets below.<ref name="Fischler, Raphael 1998">{{cite journal |title=The Metropolitan Dimension of Early Zoning: Revisiting the 1916 New York City Ordinance |author=Fischler, Raphael |journal=Journal of the American Planning Association |volume=64 |issue=2 |year=1998 |pages=170–188 |doi=10.1080/01944369808975974}}</ref> The [[Art Deco]] design of the [[Chrysler Building]] (1930) and [[Empire State Building]] (1931), with their tapered tops and steel spires, reflected the zoning requirements. The Chrysler Building is considered by many historians and architects to be one of New York's finest, with its distinctive ornamentation such as V-shaped lighting inserts capped by a steel spire at the tower's crown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Favorites! 100 Experts Pick Their top 10 New York Towers |publisher=The Skyscraper Museum |date=January 22, 2006 |url=http://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/FAVORITES/fav_exhibits.htm# |access-date=April 11, 2007}}</ref> Early influential examples of the [[international style (architecture)|International Style]] in the United States are [[330 West 42nd Street]] (1931) and the [[Seagram Building]] (1958). The [[Condé Nast Building]] (2000) is an important example of [[Sustainable design|green design]] in American skyscrapers.<ref name="greenbuilding">{{cite news |title=7 World Trade Center and Hearst Building: New York's Test Cases for Environmentally Aware Office Towers |work=The New York Times |date=April 16, 2006 |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/arts/design/16gree.html |access-date=July 19, 2006 |author=Pogrebin, Robin |author-link=Robin Pogrebin}}</ref>

The character of New York's large residential districts is often defined by the elegant [[brownstone]] [[Terraced house|rowhouse]]s, [[townhouse]]s, and [[Apartment|tenement]]s that were built during a period of rapid expansion from 1870 to 1930.<ref>{{cite book |title=History of Housing in New York City: Dwelling Type and Change in the American Metropolis |author=Plunz, Richar A. |chapter=Chapters 3 [Rich and Poor] & 4 [Beyond the Tenement] |year=1990 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=0-231-06297-4}}</ref> In contrast, New York City also has neighborhoods that are less densely populated and feature free-standing dwellings. In the outer boroughs, large [[single-family homes]] are common in various architectural styles such as [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] and [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]].<ref>{{cite news |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/01/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-riverdale-bronx-community-jealous-its-open-space.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |work=The New York Times |first=Margaret |last=Garb |title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Riverdale, the Bronx; A Community Jealous of Its Open Space |date=March 1, 1998 |access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/affordable/ditmaspark.htm |date=September 17, 2001 |title=New York Metro: 6 Affordable Neighborhoods |website=nymag.com |access-date= |archive-date=June 30, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630214349/http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/affordable/ditmaspark.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-douglaston-queens-timeless-city-area-with-country-feel.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |work=The New York Times |first=Diana |last=Shaman |title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Douglaston, Queens; Timeless City Area, With a Country Feel |date=February 8, 2004 |access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref> Split [[duplex (building)|two-family]] homes are also widely available across the [[outer boroughs]], for example in the [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]] area.

Stone and brick became the city's building materials of choice after the construction of wood-frame houses was limited in the aftermath of the [[Great Fire of New York (1835)|Great Fire of 1835]].<ref name="lankevich-p82">Lankevich (1998), pp. 82–83.</ref><ref name="rockwell-p354">{{cite book |title=New York: Old & New: Its Story, Streets, and Landmarks |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkoldnewit01wilsgoog |last=Wilson |first=Rufus Rockwell |year=1902 |publisher=[[J. B. Lippincott & Co. |J. B. Lippincott]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/newyorkoldnewit01wilsgoog/page/n375 354]}}</ref> Unlike Paris, which for centuries was built from its own limestone bedrock, New York has always drawn its building stone from a far-flung network of quarries and its stone buildings have a variety of textures and hues.<ref>{{cite book |author=B. Diamonstein–Spielvoegel, Barbaralee |title=The Landmarks of New York |publisher=Monacelli Press |year=2005 |isbn=1-58093-154-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Whyte, William H. |title=The WPA Guide to New York City |year=1939 |publisher=New Press |isbn=1-56584-321-5}}</ref> A distinctive feature of many of the city's buildings is the presence of wooden roof-mounted [[water tower]]s. In the 19th century, the city required their installation on buildings higher than six stories to prevent the need for excessively high water pressures at lower elevations, which could burst municipal water pipes.<ref name="Elliot">{{cite web |title=Wondering About Water Towers |author=Elliot, Debbie |publisher=National Public Radio |date=December 2, 2006 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6567297 |access-date=April 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503002535/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6567297 |archive-date=May 3, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Garden city movement|Garden apartment]]s became popular during the 1920s in outlying areas, including [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]] in Queens, which became more accessible with expansion of the subway.<ref>{{cite book |title=722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York |author=Hood, Clifton |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] |year=2004 |pages=175–177 |isbn=0-8018-5244-7}}</ref>
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==Concentrations of buildings==
{{Multiple image|image2=Lower Manhattan from Jersey City November 2014 panorama 3.jpg|image1=Pano_Manhattan2007_amk.jpg|width1=1000|width2=1000|caption1=A section of [[Midtown Manhattan]] in daytime.|caption2=A section of [[Lower Manhattan]] at sunset.|align=center|direction=vertical|background color=white}}

[[File:World Trade Center towers, New York, LCCN2015645969.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Lower Manhattan]] skyline shortly before the September 11 attacks in 2001]]

New York has two main concentrations of high-rise buildings: [[Midtown Manhattan]] and [[Lower Manhattan]], each with its own uniquely recognizable skyline. Midtown Manhattan, the largest central business district in the world, is home to such notable buildings as the [[Empire State Building]], the [[Chrysler Building]], and [[Citigroup Center]], as well as the [[Rockefeller Center]] complex. Lower Manhattan comprises the third largest central business district in the United States (after Midtown and Chicago's [[Chicago Loop|Loop]]). Lower Manhattan was characterized by the omnipresence of the Twin Towers of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] from its completion in 1973 until its destruction in the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001.

In the first decade of the 21st century, [[Lower Manhattan]] saw reconstruction, which included [[One World Trade Center]] within the new [[World Trade Center (2001–present)|World Trade Center]] complex. The Downtown skyline received new designs from such architects as [[Santiago Calatrava]] and [[Frank Gehry]]. In 2010, a {{convert|749|ft|m|adj=on}}, 43-story tower named [[200 West Street]] was built for [[Goldman Sachs]] across the street from the World Trade Center site.

New York City has a long history of tall buildings. It has been home to 10 buildings that have held the [[List of tallest buildings in the world|world's tallest]] fully habitable building title at some point in history, although half have since been demolished. The first building to bring the world's tallest title to New York was the [[New York World Building]], in 1890. Later, New York City was home to the world's tallest building for 75 continuous years, starting with the [[Park Row Building]] in 1899 and ending with One World Trade Center upon completion of the [[Sears Tower]] in 1974. The 1899 Park Row Building, one of the world's earliest skyscrapers, is still standing.

{{NYC_1916_setback_principle.svg}}

The high-rise buildings of [[Brooklyn]] constitute a third, much smaller skyline. [[Downtown Brooklyn]] is also experiencing an extensive building boom, with new high rise luxury residential towers, commercial space and a new arena in the planning stages. The building boom in Brooklyn has had a great deal of opposition from local civic and environmental groups which contend that Brooklyn needs to maintain its human scale. The borough of [[Queens]] has also been developing its own skyline in recent years with [[One Court Square]] (formerly the Citigroup Building, currently the tallest building in NYC outside Manhattan), and the Queens West development of several residential towers along the [[East River]] waterfront.

The [[1916 Zoning Resolution]] required [[Setback (architecture)|setback]] in new buildings, and restricted towers to a percentage of the lot size, to allow sunlight to reach the streets below.<ref name="Fischler, Raphael 1998" />

==History==
The [[skyscraper]], which has shaped Manhattan's distinctive [[skyline]], has been closely associated with New York City's identity since the end of the 19th century. From 1890 to 1973, the title of [[History of the tallest buildings in the world|world's tallest building]] resided continually in Manhattan (with a gap between 1894 and 1908, when the title was held by [[Philadelphia City Hall]]), with eight different buildings holding the title.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=November 5, 1995 |title=F.y.i. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 5, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/05/nyregion/fyi-016047.html |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[New York World Building]] on [[Park Row (Manhattan)|Park Row]], was the first to take the title in 1890, standing {{convert|309|ft|m}} until 1955, when it was demolished to construct a new ramp to the [[Brooklyn Bridge]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 18, 1956 |title=Plaza Job Started at Brooklyn Bridge |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/18/archives/plaza-job-started-at-brooklyn-bridge.html |access-date=February 5, 2024 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The nearby [[Park Row Building]], with its 29 stories standing {{convert|391|ft|m|0}} high, became the world's tallest office building when it opened in 1899.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=March 12, 2000 |title=Streetscapes/The Park Row Building, 15 Park Row; An 1899 'Monster' That Reigned High Over the City |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/12/realestate/streetscapes-park-row-building-15-park-row-1899-monster-that-reigned-high-over.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Early 20th century===
{{Further|Art Deco architecture of New York City}}
The 41-story [[Singer Building]], constructed in 1908 as the headquarters of the [[eponym]]ous sewing machine manufacturer, stood {{convert|612|ft|m|0}} high until 1967, when it became the tallest building ever demolished.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=January 2, 2005 |title=Once the Tallest Building, but Since 1967 a Ghost |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/realestate/once-the-tallest-building-but-since-1967-a-ghost.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower]], standing {{convert|700|ft|m}} at the foot of [[Madison Avenue]], wrested the title of world's tallest building in 1909, with a tower reminiscent of [[St Mark's Campanile]] in Venice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=May 26, 1996 |title=Streetscapes/Metropolitan Life at 1 Madison Avenue;For a Brief Moment, the Tallest Building in the World |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Woolworth Building]], and its distinctive [[Gothic architecture]], took the title in 1913, topping off at {{convert|792|ft|m}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=November 2, 2000 |title=Condos to Top Vaunted Tower Of Woolworth |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/02/garden/condos-to-top-vaunted-tower-of-woolworth.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Structures such as the [[Equitable Building (Manhattan)|Equitable Building]] of 1915, which rises vertically forty stories from the sidewalk, prompted the passage of the [[1916 Zoning Resolution]], requiring new buildings to contain [[setback (architecture)|setback]]s withdrawing progressively at a defined angle from the street as they rose, in order to preserve a view of the sky at street level.<ref name="nyt20160726">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=July 25, 2016 |title=Zoning Arrived 100 Years Ago. It Changed New York City Forever. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/nyregion/new-yorks-first-zoning-resolution-which-brought-order-to-a-chaotic-building-boom-turns-100.html |access-date=May 13, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[Grand Central Terminal]] is located in East Midtown close to the Chrysler Building. The railroad terminal, completed in 1913, is the third on its site.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/svc/tmach/v1/refer?pdf=true&res=9D04EEDD133BE633A25751C0A9649C946296D6CF |title=Modern Terminal Supplies Patrons with Home Comforts |date=February 2, 1913 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It was built in the Beaux-Arts style by the firms [[Reed and Stem]] and [[Warren and Wetmore]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Schlichting |first=Kurt C. |author-link=Kurt C. Schlichting |title=Grand Central Terminal: Railroads, Architecture and Engineering in New York |url=https://archive.org/details/grandcentralterm00schl |url-access=limited |year=2001 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |pages=[https://archive.org/details/grandcentralterm00schl/page/n134 118]-120 |isbn=978-0-8018-6510-7}}</ref> It became a National Historic Landmark in 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url={{NHLS url |id=75001206}} |title="Grand Central Station" August 11, 1976, by Carolyn Pitts |format=PDF |work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination |date=August 11, 1976 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

The [[Roaring Twenties]] saw a race to the sky, with three separate buildings pursuing the world's tallest title in the span of a year. As the [[stock market]] soared in the days before the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]], two developers publicly competed for the crown.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=October 20, 1929 |title=enies Altering Plans for Tallest Building; Starrett Says Height of Bank of Manhattan Structure Was Not Increased to Beat Chrysler. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/10/20/archives/denies-altering-plans-for-tallest-building-starrett-says-height-of.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> At {{convert|927|ft|m}}, [[40 Wall Street]], completed in May 1930 in only eleven months as the headquarters of the [[Bank of Manhattan]], seemed to have secured the title.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1930 |title=Bank of Manhattan Built in Record Time; Structure 927 Feet High, Second Tallest in World, Is Erected in Year of Work. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/05/06/archives/bank-of-manhattan-built-in-record-time-structure-927-feet-high.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> At [[Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)|Lexington Avenue]] and [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]], auto executive [[Walter Chrysler]] and his architect [[William Van Alen]] developed plans to build the structure's trademark {{convert|185|ft|m|0|adj=on}} spire in secret, pushing the [[Chrysler Building]] to {{convert|1046|ft|m}} and making it the tallest in the world when it was completed in 1929.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=December 17, 1995 |title=Streetscapes: The Chrysler Building;Skyscraper's Place in the Sun |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/17/realestate/streetscapes-the-chrysler-building-skyscraper-s-place-in-the-sun.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Completed in 1930, the Chrysler Building is a distinctive symbol of New York.<ref name="Willis Friedman">{{cite book |title=Building the Empire State |last1=Willis |first1=Carol |last2=Friedman |first2=Donald |publisher=W.W. Norton |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-393-73030-2 |location=New York}}</ref>{{rp|14}} Originally built for the [[Chrysler Corporation]],<ref>{{cite news |title=The Silver Spire: How two men's dreams changed the skyline of New York |first=Claudia Roth |last=Pierpont |url=http://www.jayebee.com/discoveries/criticism/silver_spire.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040825173238/http://www.jayebee.com/discoveries/criticism/silver_spire.htm |archive-date=August 25, 2004 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=November 18, 2002 |access-date=February 14, 2016}}</ref> the building is presently co-owned by [[Aby Rosen]]'s RFR Holding LLC, in a [[joint venture]] with the Austrian [[Signa Holding|SIGNA Group]].<ref name="signa">{{cite news |last=Seythal |first=Thomas |editor-last=Hummel |editor-first=Tassilo |title=Austria's Signa, RFR Holding buy New York's Chrysler Building |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-property-chryslerbuilding/austrias-signa-rfr-holding-buy-new-yorks-chrysler-building-idUSKCN1QW210 |date=March 15, 2019 |work=Reuters |access-date=May 13, 2019}}</ref><ref name="RFRPurchaseKatzBloomberg">{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-08/rfr-is-said-to-be-serious-bidder-for-nyc-s-chrysler-building |title=Chrysler Building to Sell to RFR for About $150 Million |author=Lily Katz |date=March 8, 2019 |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> The Chrysler Building was the first structure in the world to surpass the 1,000 foot threshold.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%25201930%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%25201930%2520-%25201438.pdf |title=FIRST BUILDING TO RISE ABOVE 1,000 FEET HIGH |work=The Troy Times |location=[[Troy, New York]] |page=9 |date=April 4, 1930 |access-date=November 3, 2017 |via=[[Fultonhistory.com]]}}</ref>

Both buildings were soon surpassed with the May 1931 completion of the 102-story Empire State Building with its tower reaching {{convert|1250|ft|m}} at the top of the building. The {{convert|203|ft|m|adj=on}} high pinnacle was later added bringing the total height of the building to {{convert|1453|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 2, 1931 |title=Rivalry for Height is Seen as Ended; Empire State's Record to Stand for Many Years, Builders and Realty Men Say |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/05/02/archives/rivalry-for-height-is-seen-as-ended-empire-states-record-to-stand.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=June 14, 1992 |title=Streetscapes: The Empire State Building; A Red Reprise for a '31 Wonder |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/14/realestate/streetscapes-the-empire-state-building-a-red-reprise-for-a-31-wonder.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Empire State Building]], a contemporary [[Art Deco]] style building in [[Midtown Manhattan]], was designed by [[Shreve, Lamb and Harmon]] and takes its name from the nickname of New York State.<ref name="enc-nyc2">{{cite enc-nyc2}}</ref>{{rp|413}}<ref name="Willis Friedman" />{{rp|46}} It was the first building to go beyond the 100-story mark, and has one of the world's most visited observation decks, which sees about 4 million visitors a year.<ref name="nyt20111225">{{Cite news |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/nyregion/empire-state-building-observation-decks-generate-startling-profits.html |title=Empire State Building Observation Decks Generate Startling Profits |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=December 24, 2011 |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 24, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The building was built in just 14 months.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/05/02/102231255.pdf |title=EMPIRE STATE TOWER, TALLEST IN WORLD, IS OPENED BY HOOVER; THE HIGHEST STRUCTURE RAISED BY THE HAND OF MAN |date=May 2, 1931 |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 23, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
[[30 Rockefeller Plaza]] is a slim Art Deco skyscraper and the focal point of [[Rockefeller Center]]. It stands 850&nbsp;ft (259 m) with 70 floors. Built in 1933<ref name="NYTimes-RCA-Ready-1933">{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/04/30/105128980.pdf |title=Two Skyscrapers Will Open This Week; RCA and John Street Buildings Ready; TWO SKYSCRAPERS OPEN TOMORROW |date=April 30, 1933 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 11, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{dead link|date=November 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and originally called the [[RCA]] Building, it was later called the [[Comcast]] Building.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hevesi |first=Dennis |title=30 Rock? RCA? NBC? No, G.E.! |work=The New York Times |date=July 14, 1988 |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/14/nyregion/30-rock-rca-nbc-no-ge.html |access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref> The frieze above the main entrance was executed by [[Lee Lawrie]] and depicts [[Wisdom]], along with a phrase from scripture that reads ''"Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times"'', originally found in the Book of Isaiah, 33:6.<ref>{{cite book |first=Christine |last=Roussel |title=The Art of Rockefeller Center |url=https://archive.org/details/guidetoartofr00chri |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |date=May 17, 2006 |isbn=978-0-3930-6082-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/guidetoartofr00chri/page/55 55]}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
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| image1 = 40 Wall Street.jpg
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| image2 = Chrysler Building from East River 1 (6165170666).jpg
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| image3 = Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock (4684705924).jpg
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| image4 = American International Building (feb 2013) straighten.jpg
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| image5 = GE Building by David Shankbone.JPG
| footer = [[40 Wall Street]] (1930), [[Chrysler Building]] (1930), [[Empire State Building]] (1931), [[American International Building]] (1932), [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]] (1933)
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[[330 West 42nd Street]] (1931) was the only skyscraper in New York City displayed in [[Henry-Russell Hitchcock]] and [[Philip Johnson]]'s influential [[International style (architecture)|International Style]] exhibition at the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in 1932,<ref name="nyt19731103">{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Goldberger |date=November 3, 1973 |title='Green Building' Is a White Elephant |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/03/archives/green-buiding-is-a-white-elephant-awkward-location-a-brash-design-a.html |access-date=March 23, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the only other U.S. skyscraper at that exhibition, besides the [[PSFS Building]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Wiseman |first=Carter |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393320541/page/132 |title=Twentieth-century American architecture: The Buildings and Their Makers |publisher=W.W. Norton & Co. |year=2000 |isbn=0-393-32054-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393320541/page/132 132]}}</ref> Johnson, along with [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]], later helped build the [[Seagram Building]] (1959) on Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets, with extruded bronze [[mullions]] on the facade.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 1958 |title=Seagram's Bronze Tower |url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1958-07.pdf |journal=Architectural Forum |volume=109}}</ref> [[Paul Goldberger]] wrote in ''The New York Times'' in 1976 that the Seagram Building was one of "New York's most copied buildings", its design having been copied in several structures worldwide.<ref name="nyt19761108">{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Goldberger |date=November 8, 1976 |title=Seagram Building Owners Plan To Seek Landmark Designation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/08/archives/seagram-building-owners-plan-to-seek-landmark-designation.html |access-date=March 16, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Late 20th century===
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Walter_Gropius_photo_MetLife_Building_fassade_New_York_USA_2005-10-03.jpg
| caption1 = [[MetLife Building]] (1963)
| image2 = World Trade Center viewed from the Hudson River.jpg
| caption2 = Twin Towers, [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] (1973)
| image3 = Citigroup Center 2015.jpg
| caption3 = [[Citigroup Center]] (1977)
}}
In 1961, the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] unveiled plans to tear down the old [[Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)|Penn Station]] and replace it with a new [[Madison Square Garden]] and [[One Penn Plaza|office building]] complex. Organized protests were aimed at preserving the [[McKim, Mead & White]]-designed structure completed in 1910, widely considered a masterpiece of the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] style and one of the architectural jewels of New York City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=May 20, 2001 |title=Streetscapes/'The Destruction of Penn Station'; A 1960's Protest That Tried to Save a Piece of the Past |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/realestate/streetscapes-destruction-penn-station-1960-s-protest-that-tried-save-piece-past.html |access-date=October 5, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Despite these efforts, demolition of the structure began in October 1963. The loss of Penn Station—called "an act of irresponsible public vandalism" by historian [[Lewis Mumford]]—led directly to the enactment in 1965 of a local law establishing the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]], which is responsible for preserving the "city's historic, aesthetic, and [[cultural heritage]]".<ref>[http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/about/about-lpc.page About the Landmarks Preservation Commission] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425070933/https://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/about/about-lpc.page |date=April 25, 2020 }}, [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]. Accessed November 20, 2016.</ref> The [[historic preservation]] movement triggered by Penn Station's demise has been credited with the retention of some one million structures nationwide, including over 1,000 in New York City.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/requiem-for-penn-station/ "Requiem For Penn Station"], [[CBS News]], October 13, 2002. Accessed May 17, 2007.</ref> In 2017, a multibillion-dollar rebuilding plan was unveiled to restore the historic grandeur of Penn Station, in the process of upgrading the landmark's status as a critical [[transportation hub]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rebuildpennstation.org/ |title=Rebuild Penn Station A movement dedicated to the reconstruction of Penn Station |publisher=Rebuild Penn Station |access-date=September 1, 2017 |quote=Our mission is to dramatically enhance the quality of life in the New York City metropolitan area by rebuilding the original Pennsylvania Station as the centerpiece of a new world-class transportation network for the entire region. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803231701/http://www.rebuildpennstation.org/ |archive-date=August 3, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[MetLife Building]], formerly the [[Pan Am]] Building, was the largest commercial office building in the world when it opened on March 7, 1963.<ref>Horsley, Carter C. [http://www.thecityreview.com/panam.html The MetLife Building], The Midtown Book. Accessed September 30, 2007. "When it was completed, the {{convert|2400000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} building became the world's largest office building in bulk, a title it would lose a few years later to 55 Water Street downtown."</ref> It stands directly north of Grand Central Terminal.<ref>{{cite news |title=PAN AM BUILDING DEDICATED IN N.Y.; 100 Million Structure, 59 Stories Tall, City's Biggest Other Speakers at Event |website=The New York Times |date=March 8, 1963 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/03/08/archives/pan-am-building-dedicated-in-ny-100-million-structure-59-stories.html |access-date=December 24, 2018}}</ref>
The former [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers of the World Trade Center]] were located in Lower Manhattan. At {{convert|1368|and|1362|ft|m}}, the 110-story buildings were the world's tallest from 1972 until they were surpassed by the construction of the [[Willis Tower]] in 1974 (formerly known as the Sears Tower, located in [[Chicago]]).<ref>Barss, Karen. [http://www.infoplease.com/spot/skyscraperhistory.html "The History of Skyscrapers: A race to the top"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811160808/http://www.infoplease.com/spot/skyscraperhistory.html |date=August 11, 2010 }}, Information Please. Accessed May 17, 2007. "The Empire State Building would reign supreme among skyscrapers for 41 years until 1972, when it was surpassed by the World Trade Center (1,368 feet, 110 stories). Two years later, New York City lost the distinction of housing the tallest building when the Willis Tower was constructed in Chicago (1450 feet, 110 stories)."</ref> One World Trade Center, a replacement for the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, is currently the tallest building in the [[Western Hemisphere]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2014/11/03/1-world-trade-center-is-open-for-business/ |title=1 World Trade Center is open for business |last=DeGregory |first=Priscilla |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113002811/http://nypost.com/2014/11/03/1-world-trade-center-is-open-for-business/ |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Citigroup Center]] is a 59-story office tower located at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue in [[Midtown Manhattan]]. It is considered one of the most important post-war skyscrapers to be in erected in New York City. The striking design of the steeply slanted roof, the sleek aluminum-clad facade, and its base on four stilts ''over'' a church also on the site made the skyscraper an instant architectural icon. The sloping roof houses the building's mechanical and ventilation systems. The designers settled on an aluminum-clad facade to reduce the weight load on the building's foundation and support structures, since its entire weight would be supported by stilts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2582.pdf |title=Citicorp Center |last=Postal |first=Matthew A |date=December 6, 2016 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |access-date=December 10, 2018}}</ref> To prevent swaying, a "[[tuned mass damper]]" was later added on the roof.<ref>{{cite news |last=Greer |first=William R. |title=Rx for Swaying Skyscrapers |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 24, 1982 |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/24/realestate/rx-for-swaying-skyscrapers.html |access-date=July 25, 2009}}</ref>

===21st century===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 400
| image1 = 8 Spruce Street (01030p).jpg
| caption1 = [[8 Spruce Street]] (2006)
| image2 = New York (33224081040).jpg
| caption2 = [[One World Trade Center]] (2013)
| image3 = 432 Park Avenue, NY (cropped).jpg
| caption3 = [[432 Park Avenue]] (2015)
}}

[[Time Warner Center]] is a mixed-use skyscraper at [[Columbus Circle]] on [[Manhattan]]'s [[Upper West Side]]. It was the first major building to be completed since the September 11 attacks.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041210170105/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-twc0219,0,1112834.story Inside the Time Warner Center], [[Newsday]], February 19, 2004</ref>

The [[Condé Nast Building]], officially Four Times Square, is a modern skyscraper in [[Times Square]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] and one of the most important examples of [[green design]] in skyscrapers in the United States. Environmentally friendly gas-fired [[absorption chiller]]s, along with a high-performing [[Thermal insulation|insulating]] and shading curtain wall, ensure that the building does not need to be heated or cooled for the majority of the year. Office furniture is made with [[biodegradable]] and non-toxic materials. The air-delivery system provides 50% more fresh air than is required by New York City [[Building Code]], and a number of recycling chutes serve the entire building. Being the first project of its size to undertake these features in construction, the building has received an award from the [[American Institute of Architects]], as well as AIA New York State.

[[Hearst Tower (New York City)|Hearst Tower]], located in [[Midtown Manhattan]] at 300 West 57th Street, is another example of the new breed of [[green design]] skyscrapers in New York City. Hearst Tower is a glass and steel construction skyscraper which rests on the base of the original 1920s Hearst Corporation Building. Hearst Tower is easily identified by the dramatic interlocking triangular glass panels designed by British architect [[Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank|Lord Norman Foster]]. Hearst Tower is also the first skyscraper in New York City to be awarded the coveted Gold LEED Certified rating by the [[United States Green Building Council]].

{{-}}

== Demolished buildings ==
{{main|List of demolished buildings and structures in New York City}}


==Tallest buildings==
{{Main|List of tallest buildings in New York City}}
The 15 tallest buildings:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; background:#eef5ff; margin:1em auto;"
|- style="background:#dee;"
! style="background:#cdd;"|Std.<br />rank<br />
! Name
! Year<br />
! Location<br />(Midtown & Lower Manhattan) <br />
! Height
{{small|ft (m)}}
! Floors{{efn-ua|Floor counts often vary among sources, this list uses the number most widely reported in reference.}}
! Notes
|-
| {{Right|1}}
| [[One World Trade Center]]
| 2014
| 285 [[Fulton Street (Manhattan)|Fulton Street]]
| {{convert|1776|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
|94{{efn-ua|The building is 104 standard floors tall and most references supply this figure. However, only 94 actual, physically usable, stories are present; see the skyscraper's [[One World Trade Center|main article]] for more details.|name=1WTC Floor Count}}
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2017 e690">{{cite web | title=One World Trade Center - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=September 12, 2017 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/one-world-trade-center/98 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|2}}
| [[Central Park Tower]]
| 2021
| 225 West [[57th Street (Manhattan)|57th Street]]
| {{convert|1550|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 99<!--the tower markets itself as having 130 floors but there are 99 usable floors-->
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2020 z857">{{cite web | title=Central Park Tower - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=September 10, 2020 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/central-park-tower/14269 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|3}}
| [[111 West 57th Street]]
| 2022
| 111 West [[57th Street (Manhattan)|57th Street]]
| {{convert|1428|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 85
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2018 e273">{{cite web | title=111 West 57th Street - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=August 22, 2018 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/111-west-57th-street/14320 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|4}}
| [[One Vanderbilt]]
| 2020
| 1 [[Vanderbilt Avenue]]
| {{convert|1401|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 73
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2022 l054">{{cite web | title=One Vanderbilt Avenue - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=April 11, 2022 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/one-vanderbilt-avenue/15833 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|5}}
| [[432 Park Avenue]]
| 2015
| 432 [[Park Avenue]]
| {{convert|1397|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 85
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2018 j792">{{cite web | title=432 Park Avenue - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=August 22, 2018 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/432-park-avenue/13227 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|6}}
| [[270 Park Avenue (2021–present)|270 Park Avenue]]
| 2025
| 270 [[Park Avenue]]
| {{convert|1388|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 60
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2022 t933">{{cite web | title=JPMorgan Chase World Headquarters - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=April 15, 2022 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/jpmorgan-chase-world-headquarters/34450 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|7}}
| [[30 Hudson Yards]]
| 2019
| 500 West [[33rd Street (Manhattan)|33rd Street]]
| {{convert|1270|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
|73
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2019 x013">{{cite web | title=30 Hudson Yards - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=September 27, 2019 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/30-hudson-yards/13325 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|8}}
| [[Empire State Building]]
| 1931
| 350 [[Fifth Avenue]]
| {{convert|1250|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 102{{efn-ua|name=Empire State Building Floor Count|References typically use the 102 floors figure, however some state a value of 103 floors instead due to the presence of an encircling balcony above the 102nd floor. See [[Empire State Building#Opening and early years]] and [[Empire State Building#Above the 102nd floor]] for a detailed explanation.}}
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2016 d983">{{cite web | title=Empire State Building - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=October 13, 2016 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/empire-state-building/261 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|9}}
| [[Bank of America Tower (Manhattan)|Bank of America Tower]]
| 2009
| 1101 [[Sixth Avenue]]
| {{convert|1200|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
|55
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2016 s427">{{cite web | title=Bank of America Tower - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=October 13, 2016 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/bank-of-america-tower/291 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|10}}
| [[3 World Trade Center]]
| 2018
| 175 [[Greenwich Street]]
| {{convert|1079|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
|80
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2016 p881">{{cite web | title=3 World Trade Center - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=October 13, 2016 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/3-world-trade-center/273 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|11}}
| [[The Brooklyn Tower]]
| 2022
| 9 [[DeKalb Avenue]]
| {{convert|1066|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 74
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2018 n766">{{cite web | title=The Brooklyn Tower - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=October 22, 2018 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-brooklyn-tower/20684 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|12}}
| [[53W53]]
| 2019
| 53 West [[53rd Street (Manhattan)|53rd Street]]
| {{convert|1050|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 77
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2019 n229">{{cite web | title=53 West 53 - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=September 30, 2019 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/53-west-53/317 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|13}}
| [[Chrysler Building]]
| 1930
| 405 [[Lexington Avenue]]
| {{convert|1046|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
|77
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2019 o487">{{cite web | title=Chrysler Building - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=January 22, 2019 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/chrysler-building/422 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|14}}
| [[The New York Times Building]]
| 2007
| 620 [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]]
| {{convert|1046|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
|52
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2009 x303">{{cite web | title=New York Times Building - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=December 16, 2009 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/new-york-times-building/11637 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{Right|15}}
| [[The Spiral (New York City)|The Spiral]]
| 2022
| 435 [[Tenth Avenue (Manhattan)|Tenth Avenue]]
| {{convert|1031|ft|m|0|abbr=values}}
| 66
| <ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH 2016 j469">{{cite web | title=The Spiral - The Skyscraper Center | website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat – CTBUH | date=April 7, 2016 | url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-spiral/23571 | access-date=February 5, 2024}}</ref>
|}

{{Notelist-ua}}

==Residential architecture==

<gallery>
File:Gracie Mansion snow jeh.jpg|[[Gracie Mansion]], the mayor's official residence.
File:Forest Hills Gardens, Queens, NY.jpg|A large single family home in [[Forest Hills Gardens, Queens]].
File:Fitzgerald-Ginsberg Mansion in Flushing, Queens.jpg|A Tudor Revival style mansion in [[Flushing, Queens]] constructed in 1924.
File:Historic 88 Bentley - New Paintjob!.JPG|A home in [[Tottenville, Staten Island]].
File:Howard Beach 1 by David Shankbone.jpg|Houses placed on [[Hawtree Creek]] in [[Howard Beach, Queens]].
File:Long Island City New York May 2015 panorama 1.jpg|21st century residential towers in [[Long Island City, Queens]]
File:1 North Fourth complex NY1.jpg|High-rise condominiums on the [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]] waterfront.
File:Saitta House Fall 1.jpg|Queen Anne architecture c. 1899 in [[Dyker Heights, Brooklyn]].
File:The Dakota (48269594271).jpg|[[Dakota Building]] (1881) on the [[Upper West Side, Manhattan|Upper West Side]] of Manhattan
File:LowerEastSideTenements.JPG|[[Tenement]] buildings in the [[Lower East Side]].
File:Harlem 02.jpg|[[Brownstone]] townhouses in [[Harlem]].
File:Ninth-north.jpg|Apartment buildings in [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]].
File:Manhattan House 65 jeh.JPG|[[Manhattan House]] buildings on the [[Upper East Side]]. 
</gallery>

[[File:LaTourette House, Staten Island, NY.jpg|thumb|A large home in [[New Springville, Staten Island]].]]
[[File:Row houses in alternating cream, yellow, and gray brick, in Bushwick, Brooklyn.jpg|thumb|Row houses in [[Bushwick, Brooklyn]].]]

As New York City grew, it spread outward from where it originally began at the southern-tip of [[Manhattan Island]] into surrounding areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://unclesamsnewyork.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/the-battery-where-manhattan-begins/ |title=The Battery: Where Manhattan Begins! |date=March 22, 2010 |website=Uncle Sam's New York Tours |first=Jared |last=Goldstein}}</ref> In order to house the burgeoning population, farm land and open space in [[Upper Manhattan]], [[the Bronx]], [[Queens]], [[Brooklyn]], and [[Staten Island]] were developed into neighborhoods of [[brownstone]]s, apartment buildings, [[Multi-family residential|multi-family]] and [[Single-family detached home|single-family home]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/upper-manhattan-history/ |title=upper Manhattan history - Ephemeral New York |website=ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com}}</ref> The density of this new construction generally depended on the area's proximity and accessibility to [[Manhattan]].

The development of these areas was often spurred by the opening of bridges and the connection of boroughs via public transportation. For example, the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] was completed in 1883 and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan across the [[East River]]. [[Brooklyn Heights]], a nabe on the Brooklyn waterfront, is often credited as the United States' first suburb.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.southbrooklyn.net/b_heights.html |title=The South Brooklyn Network -- Brooklyn Heights |access-date=February 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218113132/http://www.southbrooklyn.net/b_heights.html |archive-date=February 18, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The bridge allowed an easier commute between Brooklyn and Manhattan and spurred rapid construction, development, and redevelopment. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, completed in 1964,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statenislandhistorian.com/Staten_Island_History.html |title=History - Staten Island History}}</ref> opened up many areas of Staten Island to residential and commercial development, especially in the central and southern parts of the borough, which had previously been largely undeveloped. Staten Island's population doubled from about 221,000 in 1960 to about 443,000 in 2000.

By 1870, stone and brick had become firmly established as the building materials of choice, as the construction of wood-frame houses had been greatly limited in the aftermath of the [[Great Fire of New York|Great Fire of 1835]].<ref name="lankevich-p82"/><ref name="rockwell-p354"/> Unlike Paris, which for centuries was built from its own [[limestone]] bedrock, New York has always drawn its building stone from a network of quarries, sometimes quite distant, which is evident in the variety of textures and hues of stone seen in the city's buildings. In the days before rail, stones were floated down the [[Hudson River]] or along the Atlantic Seaboard from pits in [[New England]]. While trains brought marble from Vermont and granite from Minnesota, it was [[Connecticut]] brownstone that was so popular in the construction of New York's row homes in the late 19th century that the term ''brownstone'' became synonymous with ''row house''.

Beginning in the 1950s, public housing projects dramatically changed the city's appearance. New, large scale (frequently high-rise) residential complexes replaced older communities, at times removing artifacts and landmarks that would now be considered of historic value. During this period, many of these new projects were built in an effort towards [[urban renewal]] championed by the famed urban planner [[Robert Moses]]. The resulting housing projects have suffered from inconsistent funding, poor maintenance, and high crime, prompting many to consider these projects a failure.

A distinctive feature of residential (and many commercial) buildings in New York City is the presence of wooden roof-mounted [[water tower]]s, which were required on all buildings higher than six stories by city ordinance in the 19th century because the municipal water pipes could not withstand the extraordinarily high pressure necessary to deliver water to the top stories of high-rise buildings.<ref name=Elliot/>

==Bridges and tunnels==
{{Main|List of bridges and tunnels in New York City}}

<gallery mode="packed">
File:A bridge in New York City.jpg|[[High Bridge (New York City)|High Bridge]] (1848)
File:Brooklyn Bridge 1 -66000524.jpg|[[Brooklyn Bridge]] (1883)
File:Williamsburg Bridge NY2.jpg|[[Williamsburg Bridge]] (1903)
File:Queensboro Bridge New York October 2016 002.jpg|[[Queensboro Bridge]] (1909)
File:Manhattan Bridge June 2015.jpg|[[Manhattan Bridge]] (1909)
File:George Washington Bridge from Englewood Basin NJ2.jpg|[[George Washington Bridge]] (1931)
File:Whitestone Bridge.jpg|[[Bronx–Whitestone Bridge|Whitestone Bridge]] (1939)
</gallery>

New York City is located on one of the world's largest natural harbors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-earth-was-made/videos/new-york-harbor#new-york-harbor |title=Watch New York Harbor Clip - How the Earth Was Made - HISTORY}}</ref> The boroughs of [[Manhattan]] and [[Staten Island]] are their own islands, while [[Queens]] and [[Brooklyn]] are located at the west-end of the larger [[Long Island]]. This precipitates a need for an extensive infrastructure of bridges and tunnels. Nearly all of the city's major bridges and several of its tunnels, have broken or set records. For example, the [[Holland Tunnel]] was the world's first vehicular tunnel when it opened in 1927.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/holland/ |title=Holland Tunnel (I-78) |website=www.nycroads.com}}</ref>

The [[Queensboro Bridge]] is an important piece of [[Cantilever bridge|cantilever architecture]]. The towers of the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] are built of limestone, granite, and Rosendale cement. Their architectural style is neo-Gothic, with characteristic pointed arches above the passageways through the stone towers. This bridge was also the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. The [[Manhattan Bridge]], [[Throgs Neck Bridge]], [[Triborough Bridge]], and [[Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge]] are all examples of [[Structural Expressionism]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nyc-architecture.com/BRI/BRI002-ManhattanBridge.htm |title=New York Architecture Images-Manhattan Bridge |website=nyc-architecture.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230305232634/http://nyc-architecture.com/STYLES/STY-struc.htm |url=http://nyc-architecture.com/STYLES/STY-struc.htm |title=Structural Expressionism |website=nyc-architecture.com}}</ref>

==Street grid==
{{Main|Commissioners' Plan of 1811}}
[[File:New_York,_New_York,_August_24,_2017.jpg|thumb|A satellite view of a portion of Manhattan]]
Formulated in the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]], New York adopted a visionary proposal to develop Manhattan north of [[14th Street (Manhattan)|14th Street]] with a regular [[Grid plan|street grid]]. The economic logic underlying the plan, which called for twelve numbered avenues running north and south, and 155 orthogonal cross streets, was that the grid's regularity would provide an efficient means to develop new real estate property.<ref>{{cite web |last=Reps |first=John W. |title=1811 Commissioners Plan for New York |website=Urban Planning, 1794-1918 |date=October 28, 2021 |url=http://urbanplanning.library.cornell.edu/DOCS/nyc1811.htm |access-date=November 17, 2021}}</ref> [[Frederick Law Olmsted]], the designer of [[Central Park]], disapproved.<ref>{{cite citygrid |page=175}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|New York City}}
*[[List of buildings]]
*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in New York]]
*[[List of New York City Designated Landmarks]]
*[[List of tallest buildings in New York City]]
*[[List of cities with most skyscrapers]]
*[[Art Deco architecture of New York City]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite AIA4}}
* [[Federal Writers' Project]] (1939). ''The WPA Guide to New York City'', The New Press (1995 reissue).

==External links==
{{Commons category|Architecture of New York City}}
*[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/dwnbklyn2/dwnbklynintro1.shtml/ Downtown Brooklyn Development - New York City Dept. Of Planning]
*[http://www.renewnyc.com/ Lower Manhattan Development - Lower Manhattan Development Corp.]
* [http://thecityreview.com/home.html The City Review] - information on buildings and architecture by neighborhood
*[http://www.nyc-architecture.com/ Tom Fletcher's New York Architecture Images and Notes ...]
* {{cite web |url=http://library.columbia.edu/subject-guides/avery/nycbuild.html |title=New York City Buildings |work=Research Guides |author=Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library |author-link=Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University |access-date=February 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223125837/http://library.columbia.edu/subject-guides/avery/nycbuild.html |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |url-status=dead}}

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{{New York City}}
{{Architecture of North America}}{{Architecture in the United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Architecture Of New York City}}
[[Category:Architecture in New York City| ]]