I asked bloggers to write about an experience they had where they were overcome with curiosity and amazement at a great architectural achievement–whether it was because they thought it was so amazing and beautiful or they were amazed as to how it was even built. Sara chose to write about her trip to New York and how awestruck she was at the large and beautiful high rises. Let’s begin our trek through memorable architectural achievements in New York City.–Ed. Roman Rickwood 

By Sara Habibipour

Back in eighth grade, we took a choir trip to New York City where we had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall and explore the Big Apple.

Being a yearbook-er (now Co-Editor in Chief with Baller Haller and E-Money), I always have my camera on me. I actually don’t remember taking these photos, but as I look through my camera three years later, I find that I had captured some unique New York architecture perfect for this week’s theme!

Westfield World Trade Center

When we first walked by this building, I was very confused. Was it a dinosaur statue? A Pokemon character? What was it? 

We walked inside, and then I realized, “Oh, it’s a mall!” 

From the outside, it looks quite small, but it’s HUGE on the inside. In fact, little eighth-grade Sara almost got lost in there. There are about 120 stores spread out across six floors! 

The gaps in between each “spike” allow for natural light to come in and illuminate the mall. It’s all white too, making the inside look very clean and spacious.

The Rockefeller Center 

The Rockefeller Center is made of 14 limestone buildings in midtown Manhattan, designed by a team of architects headed by Henry Hofmeister, H.W. Corbett, and Raymond Hood in the 1930s-40s (Britannica). 

I took this photo from the very top of the building (also known as the Top of the Rock)! You can even see the Statue of Liberty in the background! 

Next to the Rockefeller Building is the famous Ice Skating Rink! In this photo, you can kind of see the 18-foot tall, eight-ton golden statue of Prometheus, the Greek Titan god of fire, surrounded by the flags of all the countries of the world. 

Freedom Tower

Standing at 1,776 feet, Freedom Tower, also the rebuilt World Trade Center, is the tallest building in the United States (and in the Western Hemisphere as a whole), and the sixth tallest in the world (no wonder why I couldn’t get all of it pictured)! It was deliberately built to be 1,776 feet tall in honor of the year the Declaration of Independence was signed (Travel Awaits). 

Although you can’t see it from this image, its beams are covered in graffiti and signatures of celebrities, including Barack Obama! The building is one of the most eco-friendly in the world, as well. This is because it uses ultra-clear glass to maximize the use of natural light. 

The American Museum of Natural History

Right next to Central Park is the iconic American Museum of Natural History. 

The first building of the current museum’s complex was a Gothic-revival construction built in 1874 after a design by architects Calvert Vaux and J. Wrey Mould (InExhibit). 

The museum is constantly expanding, and currently has an area of over 2,000,000 square feet (InExhibit). 

And although it’s not technically architecture, can we take a moment to appreciate all the time and effort put in to recover and put together a full dinosaur skeleton? Pretty amazing!

The domes, pillars, and art on the walls are very Dark Academia (see this Bird on Fire post to learn more about Dark Academia). 

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This is all I could find on my SD card, but I hope to return to New York one day and capture some more architecture (maybe more outside of Manhattan)! 

Architecture Editor: Roman Rickwood

Sources: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rockefeller-Center

https://www.travelawaits.com/2478420/visiting-freedom-tower-new-york-city/