The worst mistake was allowing the demolition of Penn Station... Such a masterpiece.

@Menstral

Жыл бұрын

They literally should have retrofit the building to have columns through the existing Penn Station in some graceful way, and then going up about 2-4 stories and then build another building on top of it. Alternately, they could have disassembled Penn station and moved it somewhere else. I read the Phaidon monograph on Penn Station

@brandons2199

Жыл бұрын

there’s a proposal to move msg to Hudson Yards and then rebuild penn station in its original style. Look up rethink Penn station

@CJODell12

Жыл бұрын

And such a terrible insulting replacement for it

@MrRezRising

Жыл бұрын

Pete Hamill.

@jdj8168

Жыл бұрын

@@brandons2199 that would be so weird and dumb. people dont want a rplica

I still want to cry every time I see a picture of the old Penn Station. How they could have let such an amazing piece of architecture get torn down is criminal.

@karenryder6317

Жыл бұрын

What happened to Pulizer's building?

@TheRandCrews

Жыл бұрын

@@karenryder6317 demolished replace by an entrance to the new Brooklyn bridge

@d.e.b.b5788

Жыл бұрын

Like everything else in America, it was decided on the basis of MONEY. The railroads were all going bankrupt, and dragging their real estate holdings down with them; there are so many great stations which have been destroyed or still falling into disrepair. It's a shame.

@jed-henrywitkowski6470

Жыл бұрын

@@karenryder6317 Pulizer, as in Pulizer Prize

@TheJRSvideos

Жыл бұрын

The modernist/brutalist architectural movement of the 60s and 70s was an absolute disaster. No appreciation whatsoever for what had come before, and what's worse, they replaced much of those iconic buildings during what is arguably this country's worst era of architecture.

It's always baffling to me when I see how many magnificent gilded age buildings have been lost and how more often than not, have been replaced with mediocre, uncharismatic concrete slabs.

@karenryder6317

Жыл бұрын

The question is, why were they replaced by such mediocrity? Does it all come down to high classical style needing more maintenance and that pedestrian square cubes with no ornamentation are simply more economical? If so, then are we saying that profit is king and businesses can't support even a few specimen buildings that add to the aesthetic appeal of the community?

@BZK-.

Жыл бұрын

or even worse, parking spaces

@thealmightyaku-4153

Жыл бұрын

@@karenryder6317 It all came down to ideology. Certain architecture schools simply believed that older architectural styles _had_ to be gotten rid of, for various reasons - none of which made any sense. They simply believed the past should be forgotten and destroyed, just because.

@satanified7089

Жыл бұрын

dirty and inhospitable concrete slabs at that!

@ML-ov7wo

Жыл бұрын

You got it Karen Ryder. It’s all about demoralizing the population to be surrounded by bland depressing “economical” architecture. Building the prison around you.

The loss of Penn Station is deeply sad and it should not only remind us to maintain our built environment, grand and modest structures alike, but it should also be an example of why we need to reinvent buildings or places so that they continue to be useful to the community they serve. Michael, I would love to see a video of what you think are some of the best examples of adaptive reuse projects where a potentially endangered building or group of buildings has been given new life. I absolutely love this series.... please keep up the great work

@derek20la

Жыл бұрын

As mentioned, the station was built and owned by the PRR. As the country deindustrialized, and interstates and jet planes came about, their two core businesses - moving freight and passengers - dried up. Not only were all their properties taxable by local municipalities, but at the time freight tariffs and passenger fares were also set by the government. The company was bleeding cash and answerable to their shareholders. The political climate at the time would likely not have supported a public agency purchasing the property, as what happened for Grand Central in 2020 (replacing MTA's 280 year lease). Oh how things changed in 1963.

@RocketHarry865

Жыл бұрын

@@derek20la Imagine going back in time to the late 40's and exposing the damage caused by car and airline dependency.

@cancerino666

Жыл бұрын

@@derek20la More like the US decided to join the car-brain cult. Train stations were kept and even extended in europe.

@RcsN505

Жыл бұрын

I mean, it was nicer than the current building but it was so unoriginal. It looks so silly for buildings in the Americas to copy Greek and Roman styles. It's like they were trying so hard to be European/Mediterranean.

@Huels

Жыл бұрын

There is a building in St. Louis called Union Station and it is one of the most famous train stations build in the 1890s. Instead of being torn down when the last train left in the 1970s, they turned it into first a shipping mall and later a family tourist attraction with an aquarium and a farris wheel. The original front and fountain still remain as well as the train shed that they have fountains in now and other stuff.

As an Australian who has never visited NYC, I really have no right to be mad about the original Penn Station being demolished - but it was a truly amazing structure and thankfully Grand Central Station was spared the same fate. Thanks for the video, Michael.

@fourzerozerozero

Жыл бұрын

it's especially sad considering how madison square garden (the new one at that site, not the one talked about in this video) is so ugly

@TheAmericanCatholic

Жыл бұрын

@Phillip Banes true

@yuckyool

Жыл бұрын

Terminal

@mooonlight778

Жыл бұрын

agreed

@tanr9104

8 ай бұрын

Penn station reminds me of the Musee D’Orsay which was once a train station.

Seeing these images of the old Penn Station is so depressing

@Secretlyanothername

Жыл бұрын

Why? It looks pretty interesting actually.

@elliepurser7867

Жыл бұрын

@@Secretlyanothername it's depressing that they demolished such a beautiful building.

@jj-if6it

Жыл бұрын

@@Secretlyanothername seriously? lol

@Secretlyanothername

Жыл бұрын

@@elliepurser7867 oh, but they built something better there instead. So that's good.

@VermyScrubs

Жыл бұрын

@@Secretlyanothername No it hasn’t, commuters coined Penn Station has a dirty, cramped, dark hellhole that made them feel like animals, as one person said “One who used to enter into the City like a god now scuttles in like a rat” having been there before the opening of the Moynihan Train Hall, it was really depressing. All that destruction only to build a half functional sports arena

If you can find a copy of the 2001 book "The Destruction of Penn Station" I highly recommend it. The photographs are both stunning and ultimately sad as well. I guess (as noted in the video) the one good thing to come of tearing it down was the move to prevent things like this from happening again.

@thomasklugh4345

Жыл бұрын

To Mike V. ... Yup. I've ordered it! It's a Big Book! And, yes, I agree... The original Penn Station was beautiful; one of a kind.

@OSTARAEB4

Жыл бұрын

Yes Mike. I bought that book years ago. It’s beautiful but also difficult to see. I believe they started the destruction in October, 1962 and finished in late 1965 or 1966. I remember getting a cab with my late mother along the Seventh Avenue side to exit through the columns. I remember it was cavernous. A real tragedy she wasn’t saved. Seeing the jackhammers destroy her beauty is painful to witness.

@mikev.2945

Жыл бұрын

@@OSTARAEB4 I'm not old enough to have seen Penn Station, but I remember the first time I walked through Grand Central and later learned that it was saved from being torn down. It was astonishing to me that such a thing would even be considered..

@OSTARAEB4

Жыл бұрын

@@mikev.2945 I vaguely remember Penn Station. I was a young child but remember how high and ornate the enclosed area that ran the length of the station was where one hails a cab or ride. Yes, The Grand Central Terminal was indeed threatened and the late First Lady Jackie Kennedy was highly influential inbreeding campaign to save GCT as I believe it was slated for destruction also. Grand Central is the third terminal on that spot the predecessors leading back to mid-late 19th Century and both were quite interesting from the photos and steam to electric trains too. Union Station in Washington, D.C. was also threaded in the 1970’s also as many of these stations fell into disrepair and havens for homeless. Luckily, they refurbished Union Station and the trend to mall atmosphere with retail and restaurants and they did a great job in refurbishing the station sometime in the 1990’s like New York City’s Grand Central after cleaning the grime that adhered to the ceiling after decades and “sandblasting, pointing, whatever” to the exterior every so number of decades. Unfortunately, Chicago Northwestern Station was another beautiful, much smaller station in downtown Chicago that was demolished in 1984. However, New York Pennsylvania Station was from the pictures truly a beauty. Her demise was truly a travesty.

@cthomas025

Жыл бұрын

Losing Grand Central and having Jackie Kennedy help to save Penn would've probably been a much better outcome for the city.

I love your quote, “we’re not judged by what we build, rather what we demolish”. Wise words indeed. Thank you for a terrific video on architectural history in New York and their international inspirations.

@avengemybreath3084

Ай бұрын

Why not both?

I would like to hear about the famous residential buildings in New York City. Or pretty much anything Mr. Wyetzner feels like talking about. Great series.

One of those who opposed the demolition of Penn Station was Jane Jacobs who moved to Toronto later that decade is one of the most instrumental figures of how we were able to preserve our Street Car system.

The Singer Building destruction was one of New York's biggest demolition travesties. It came as people really rebelled against losing great architecture for modern boxes to replace it.

@wuzeltownphl

9 ай бұрын

Don't forget his towering neighbor, the City Insurance Building, which was torn down at the same time.

@sarendalove

16 күн бұрын

The elephant in the room ! Guys, wake up!!

His breakdowns are always mad cool and informative.

@dfinite4089

Жыл бұрын

Rich and so valuable!

@everetthamby5005

Жыл бұрын

Mad cool, eh?

@asm-6547

Жыл бұрын

He’s the best they have! I click every time i see him

@step2058

Жыл бұрын

@@everetthamby5005 They're probably from New York haha.

@daduck87

Жыл бұрын

If only he actually talked about ALL of the MSG's and not ONLY the first two. Hell he has the current MSG on the thumbnail and never even talks about it.

An interesting fact about Stanford White is that he had no formal architectural training - not unusual at the time. He was apprenticed and then toured Europe before joining an architectural firm - and yet, he designed some of the most beautiful and theatrical buildings of the Gilded Age.

@avsystem3142

Жыл бұрын

Near verbatim copying of 500 year old European architectural detail doesn't show much imagination or creativity.

@chuckschillingvideos

Жыл бұрын

@@avsystem3142So you say. But the beauty of his designs, the grandeur of his structures, cannot be denied. What has been erected in their place is the epitome of characterless, collectivist ugliness.

@InfinitePlain

9 ай бұрын

So he nicked some designs.

@muscledavis5434

8 ай бұрын

​@@avsystem3142being inspired by sonething and copying something is NOT the same thing. And i would rather have buildings inspired by greatness, than boring boxes.

@avsystem3142

8 ай бұрын

​@@muscledavis5434 Except that White did copy European architectural styles and details verbatim. The only creativity was in adapting them to the current project.

I love when Michael explains NY architecture. He’s super knowledgeable and i could listen to him talk for hours

@benabadie7351

Жыл бұрын

Research Tartaria. This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about

@krissp8712

11 ай бұрын

@@benabadie7351 if we're going to believe in conspiracy theories I'd like to suggest the Empire State building is Mount Olympus and the Champs d'Elysee is a symbol of Atlantis

@theklamoris

9 ай бұрын

I hope he has a class. I want to listen to him talking about architecture nonstop

I'm always so happy when Michael is brought back - please keep it up, AD!!

How about a video on 3 demolished opera houses: the Academy of Music, the Manhattan (Hammerstein) Opera, and the original Metropolitan Opera?

@susanbaker2796

Жыл бұрын

Great suggestion, Louis!!!!

@OSTARAEB4

Жыл бұрын

Yes, imagine never tearing down the original Opera House on Broadway and West Fifties.

@LJB103

Жыл бұрын

@@OSTARAEB4 I wish that I had been able to see a performance in that house. I do have to say that unfortunately there seem to have been many very serious shortcomings with the backstage/rehearsal areas.

@OSTARAEB4

Жыл бұрын

@@LJB103 it’s also a shame the old Hippodrome on Sixth Avenue from East side of 43/44th only lasted from about 1905-1939 too. Imagine if they built the Empire State Building somewhere else and the original Waldorf-Astoria remained on 5th/34th. I think Lincoln Center in it’s sixty-year existence needs something new. However, haven’t been there in ages.

@LJB103

Жыл бұрын

@@OSTARAEB4 The issue with the Waldorf-Astoria is that the hotel was already considered dated by the standard of newer luxury hotels and wanted to "follow society" uptown. 401 Fifth Ave (still standing) is much more beautiful than the current Tiffany & Co., but they did the same thing (and 401 5th was already a 2nd location of the company). I'm not the greatest fan of Art Deco architecture, but the plans (killed by the Depression) for a new Metropolitan Opera on the site of Rockefeller Center would have been more pleasing than Lincoln Center.

love this guy! He explains so clearly. I hope this series never end. Love every episode. keep it up! thank you!

@benabadie7351

Жыл бұрын

Research Tartaria. This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about

@francogiobbimontesanti3826

Жыл бұрын

@@benabadie7351bro where would tataria even be? Tartars are still around today in Tatarstan. They tell their own history ands it’s very different to what you internet people claim. Go touch grass mate.

what's extra gauling about the Penn Station teardown is that they totally could have kept the facade, and at least some of the ornate features and scale and still turned it into a modern spots arena

@aidancollins1591

Жыл бұрын

That costs money to maintain.

@sammavacaist

Жыл бұрын

I saw a documentary on it and they were literally throwing carved marble statues in the trash!

@Lv-nq9qz

Жыл бұрын

@@sammavacaist a lot of them ended up in the swamps of New Jersey

@Lv-nq9qz

Жыл бұрын

The appeal of the new Penn Station and MSG was that their glass facades would be easy to maintain, the office building would bring in money, and the scaled back train station would reflect the increase in automobile use versus public transport.

@sammavacaist

Жыл бұрын

@@Lv-nq9qz Yes! That's what I saw in this doc. Throwing them in the NJ swamp! Unbelievable

"Ultimately, we are judged, not by the monuments we create, but by those we have destroyed."

Its time for a new "renaissance" of classical architecture! I'm done with the faceless and lifeless lined up cubicles of glass and metall, that were forced to live and work in.

@avsystem3142

Жыл бұрын

Feel free to open your checkbook to construct such reactionary architecture, no one else is going to.

@kelvinsurname7051

Жыл бұрын

Classical and traditional architecture!

@avsystem3142

Жыл бұрын

@@kelvinsurname7051Traditional architecture? You mean like log cabins?

@kelvinsurname7051

Жыл бұрын

@@avsystem3142 no, I am referring to more traditional building methods, usimg more local building materials, but also incorporating more traditional ornaments. N9t only those of beautiful Ancient Greek and Roman empire. Hope you understand what I am reffering to.

@avsystem3142

Жыл бұрын

@@kelvinsurname7051 My comment was sarcastic. Ancient Greek and Roman architecture cannot be copied verbatim in the contemporary world for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is economic. All that can be done is create pseudo-classical mashups that may appeal to those ignorant of the principles of appropriate design. There are plenty of examples of modern architecture that is of stunning beauty.

One building I'm so upset that was demolished was the Singer tower and its neighbor the City Investing Building. Both were so beautiful especially Singer which is my favorite building that ever existed. I've read that out of every old building they demolished Singer Tower is the one New York regrets losing.

@crazyguy_1233

Жыл бұрын

@@annasolovyeva1013 I've seen pictures of that one. It shares a ton of similarities. Singer had a lot of beautiful buildings.

@r62aguy85

9 ай бұрын

@@crazyguy_1233twin towers were better

@LRM12o8

7 ай бұрын

@r62aguy85 Nah, Twin Towers were ugly AF! If they hadn't been the tallest buildings of their time, nobody would've given a flying f@ck about their architecture. Being BIG is literally all they had to show for.

The loss of Penn Station is a tragedy and is probably the greatest indictment possible of the federal highway-building mania of the 1960s.

@VanillaMacaron551

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Big Oil and Big Steel.

@theultimatereductionist7592

Жыл бұрын

@@VanillaMacaron551 Thanks to antiMarxist antiCommunist conservative fanatics: both republicunts and democraps.

@RCAvhstape

Жыл бұрын

@@VanillaMacaron551 I was a buggy whip maker. They durka jerb!

@DrPeculiar312

10 ай бұрын

Penn Station was a cheap imitation. Rock on a steel frame, like a pig in lipstick. Might have looked nice but poorly constructed. Would cost a fortune to maintain

@Riley-uy5pe

4 ай бұрын

the destruction of black neighborhoods to build those highways is worse clown

The statue of Diana from atop Madison Square Garden was saved and is on display in the Great Stair Hall of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was conserved and restored about 10 years ago.

@mrkrimpet58

Жыл бұрын

I knew that statue looked familiar!

This video was one of the most enlightening 13 minutes I’ve spent online. I’ve spent very little time in NYC and my knowledge of it is limited to the generalities we’re always hearing. This was a wonderful look at some specific places and the wonderful and sad stories surrounding them.

Fascinating....and grievous to watch and listen to. All of these demolitions are tragic, but the one that I find particularly sad is that of Penn Station.

@gandalflotr2898

Жыл бұрын

Let's hope someone build a replica

@DrPeculiar312

10 ай бұрын

It was a cheap imitation. Cheap stone on a steel frame. Already crumbling when they tore it down

I never got to see Penn Station. My hometown wanted to get one of the eagles during demolition, but the price asked was too high. The reason for wanting an eagle is that they were carved in Milford, MA (my hometown) where all of the pink granite for the building was quarried (Boston Public Library, Allegheny County Court & Jail in Pittsburgh, and the Glessner House in Chicago are still standing examples of this stone). The other two were razed long before I was born. All were beautiful buildings. Excellent video.

@gvs376

Жыл бұрын

Interesting. I believe two of the eagles are still missing. Most likely stolen during demolition.

Casual and inviting presentations, loaded w great info and details. All of these posts are superb. Your request- I'd especially enjoy your unique observations of (demolished) Singer Tower.

I love his breakdowns and genuinely look forward to them! I would love to see a Breakdown of the history and design of the NYC Airports!

@samanthab1923

Жыл бұрын

I worked for the PA of NY&NJ Aviation Dept. Tons of photos in the cafe in WTC One.

Michael knocks it out of the park again with another excellent presentation

I’d like to see you do a story on historic sites in New York where the property owners are allowing “ demolition by neglect”. I once read an article on a building from the 1600s that barely survived and the owner is allowing it to fall into ruin so they can develop the property. I’ll try to locate that article.

@qjones6109

Жыл бұрын

14 gay street?? West village

@thewordshifter

Жыл бұрын

I work with historic buildings. It happens ALL the time.

@jefflawrentz1624

Жыл бұрын

@@qjones6109 The property I was thinking of is stone- was a tavern in the 1600s and in an area that was like commercial warehouses. But I’m glad to know about the property you mentioned. Thanks!

@lexikropff7690

Жыл бұрын

@@thewordshifter i😢😢😢😊

@lexikropff7690

Жыл бұрын

Lo😮

Great series, hosted by an even greater Architect, one episode more fascinating than the next! Well done AD and MW, keep it up, one of the best things to watch on KZread!!

I LOVE these! They're so informative. I had no idea there were multiple iterations of MSG and Penn Station. So sad we lost these beautiful historical buildings.

This guy is the best, I always get excited when I see a new video with him!

@susanbaker2796

Жыл бұрын

Same!

This is fantastic. I love learning about cities through the histories of their buildings. It's so sad that these were torn down, especially since these buildings harkened back to historical styles and had some ornamentation, things which are virtually absent in modern architecture.

I love these Michael Wyetzner videos! Keep them coming AD.

Outstanding and fabulous video! Not only architectural but historical as well! Thank you!

Wonderfully informative!!! Things often overlooked about old Penn Station's demise: The building was filthy, the roof leaked, was freezing in the winter and broiling in the summer. Everybody smoked then, and cars spewed full-out fumes, and nobody then knew how to "restore" buildings or single-pane ceiling glass. There WAS no better glass then. Plus Penn Central was BANKRUPT, zero budget for dreamy ideas! Realistically, if we put ourselves in their 1960s shoes, what would we have done? Today we've learned a bit, and might have found a way to finance its rehabilitation. But that was a wild idea at the time.

@eddieafterburner

Жыл бұрын

The demolition happened before the Penn Central merger and subsequent bankruptcy. With that said, I hear ya. People seem to forget it was private property, and with passenger service falling off a cliff post WWII, it was probably the best option at the time. The PRR corporation wasn’t in the business of building and maintaining monuments to the past. By the way, all the same things said about Penn Station could have been said about DC Union Station, which fortunately did not meet the same fate and was fully restored in the early 80s, perhaps only due to the fact that it wasn’t solely owned by PRR.

YESSSS!!! Keep the Wyetzner videos coming. Less "3 interior designers massacre the same space" and more of this haha

Always a good start of the day when Michael has a new feature. Informative, clear and hugely entertaining.

Your programs are fascinating as well as historic. So glad I happened upon these programs.

Michael - echoing others, I love this series you are doing. Your mix of detail and perspective is perfect. In this episode I enjoyed all the details, the changing infrastructure is really interesting, such as the L train on 6th and the trolly system on Park. I wonder what we have to learn about changes to transportation in NYC in the past that might help us understand how NYC and other cities will be shaped if cars take up less public space in the future. Maybe you could do the airports? Or public housing (or lack thereof) through NYC history, tenements to Projects. I know you have done tenements before.

This is a very sad story, but very greatly told! The series are brilliant 🙌🏽

I love hearing Michael break down NY history and architecture. He's a great teacher! Look forward to more from him!

Always truly enjoy your videos!! That New York Times quoted had really struck me in the '80's when I was made aware of the tragedy of the destruction of Penn Station. And it will always resonate. Such a true and powerful quote. Thank you for all your work!

This video was amazing! I would love to watch one about Ernest Flagg's Singer Building (1908) which was also a New York City landmark that sadly was demolished in the late 1960s.

❤ Michael Wyetzner videos

What a marvelous presentation--interesting, clear, concise, with great graphics (and photos). Thank you so much for the discussion so well presented! One of the best ever!

Excellent presentation and analysis! Thanks for sharing!

This is my favourite series on KZread and I am not even an architect

I would listen to michael talk about nyc architecture for hours on hours, please never stop this series

This was such an amazing video. I love every video this guy narrates.

We love Michael videos! I always leave feeling smarter and more cheerful. Thank you :)

this series should win awards. just fabulous. thank you for sharing your knowledge.

The extra bits of info that I would have never known otherwise such as sources of inspiration and building material is really what makes this simultaneously lovely yet heartbreaking to watch. It's such a shame that beautiful architecture gets demolished in favor of ugly and soulless modern/post modern styles.

Yay, another video with Michael! I would so love to have lunch with him and just listen to him talk about NYC for hours :)

Marvellous - just marvellous - especially the historical provenence and antecedents with antiquity. What is fascinating is the use of materials in the structures of these modern buildings. This is just a superb series of explications. Excellent. More please.

I know there's a bunch of videos on KZread about the singer building but would love to see a real architect like Michael explore that building and why it was eventually taken down.

@sutherlandA1

Жыл бұрын

Lack of office floor space apparently

Can you discuss the Singer building? I just admired the Little Singer building on Broadway. Love your videos.

@LUIS-ox1bv

Жыл бұрын

After the devastating loss of Penn Station, my second choice for a tremendous loss for NYC,was the demolition of Ernest Flagg's, incredible Singer Tower. The decision to bring down such an iconic structure is unforgivable.

So informative...so heartbreaking. I love your comparisons to European architectural history, including construction and choice of materials. There's so much information imparted, but not too much, and not too quickly to be absorbed and enjoyed. If I had the aptitude for architecture, I would have loved having you as a professor! Fantastic video....the kind that KZread was made for!

HI from London! ~ I'm so enjoying Architectural Digest and am learning something new every time about New York City and more. It's so hard to believe that anyone would give the go-ahead to demolish any such buildings, especially the stunningly magnificent Penn Station. When you consider all the investment of materials, expense, artistic input and the phenomenal amount of sheer time and energy it took to construct such a finely detailed grand 'classical palace', for it to be then entirely erased from the streetscape after just 50 years! ~ it makes a person weep.

@ashyclaret

10 ай бұрын

London has done the same and continues to do so.

@minixtvbox

10 ай бұрын

London is a pit, even going demolish m&s art deco in Oxford Street.

Beautiful old buildings. We’ve lost the ability to build beautiful buildings. Now it’s all about fast and cheap.

@avsystem3142

Жыл бұрын

Santiago Calatrava begs to differ.

You asked for structures torn down that would be interesting to learn about, so here are a few that I'd like to learn about in Brooklyn: Fulton Ferry terminal, all the different horse tracks, grand hotels along the waterfront, and the reservoir which stood near Prospect Park.

Fantastic video! Cannot believe these beautiful buildings were demolished.

Fantastic knowledge, terrific information would love to see more. !

I would love to hear about the Singer Building, which was the tallest building in NYC purposely torn down. This video was excellent!

I find it immensely sad that these beautiful buildings were so heedlessly destroyed. I moved to London in 1960 when there was still much evidence of damage done during world war II. Among the ruins were still virtually intact buildings which were lovingly repaired and restored. The magnificent St. Pancras station gives triumphant testimony to this. There were other examples, so that London still remains a delight for enthusiasts of the monumental buildings built in the past, but still much loved and cared for today. One need only think how much some of these buildings would cost to build today, even if it were possible. The stone masons, sculptors, stained glass artists and the like are not available nowadays, when in the past they were often commonplace artisans earning a living wage.

Absolutely love your style and way of delivering your presentation. Very interesting topic-will be watching more of your videos!

It's nice to listen to the 'design elements' or 'design vocabulary' of architecture being explained so well. Thank you.

I don't know if only does videos on NYC buildings, but I would love to see a video on the St Louis waterfront that was demolished to make room for the Arch grounds. I've heard that it had the largest collection of ornate cast iron building fascades outside of New York.

I'd like to see some of Frank Lloyd Wright's demolished buildings discussed. The Larkin building, etc... Incidentally. This felt like a short lecture in the art and architecture university class of my dreams. ALL I can say is "MORE!"

@anthonyxuereb792

Жыл бұрын

Frank Lloyd Wright's demolished buildings would be difficult viewing.

@grandcarriage1

Жыл бұрын

@@anthonyxuereb792 . Like these buildings, there is lots of photographic documentation.

@anthonyxuereb792

Жыл бұрын

@@grandcarriage1 Just as well and I'll say it if I must, "it's better than nothing." To be fair, maintaining these structures isn't cheap and sometimes they have to go. Look at the retired ship SS United States, what will its ultimate fate be? They brought the huge steam loco "Big Boy" back into running condition but you couldn't do that with the ship and it's costing a lot just in berthing fees.

Of the three grand buildings depicted and discussed in this great video, my favorite one is The New York Herald building. If only there had been a Historic Landmarks Preservation in its time. If only! So many possibilities for re-purposing this architectural jewel box.

These Michael Wyetzner videos are so good. He knows his stuff

Of course, We miss the Singer Building and the old Hippodrome on Sixth and 43rd Steet NE corner in 1939. Also, the old Roxy Theater behind the old Taft Hotel which was razed in 1960 and the old famous hotels that were sadly demolished like The Savoy across from The Plaza Hotel on Fifth and 58/59th Street, the Rector/Claridge; The Astor, The Hotel Manhattan on the NW corner of Madison and 42nd demolished circa 1930. So many of the old beautiful hotels built 1900-1925 are long gone. Sad to see the old Hotel Pennsylvania across from Pennsylvania Station being replaced by another mega skyscraper. Thank you for your wonderful presentation Michael.

Super interesting. I love hearing about the references to ancient architecture. Its a shame that we don't value historic buildings (talking to you, Austin, TX) because they are beautiful, and so much craftsmanship went into them, another thing lacking in contemporary structures.

This as very interesting. I hope you are able to do more videos like this. Thank you!

I love these videos , I want more of these type of videos where an architect talks about iconic buildings in the cities

An 1890’s retractable roof? I’m blown away!

You definitely need to do a video on the Singer Building. Great analysis btw

@crazyguy_1233

Жыл бұрын

Singer is by far my favorite. I've read that out of all the buildings demolished in New York Singer is the one the city regrets losing.

Appreciate this special information not just about architecture but also history. ✨

These are the best videos, truly.

Such a beautiful masterpiece the original Penn Station was!

I just came across this channel and love it. I've always been a of Detroit's buildings and architecture would be cool to see your take on them

@rumplestiltskin951

Жыл бұрын

Detroit's architecture is very unique.

@mrhyd388

Жыл бұрын

@@rumplestiltskin951 I agree and a lot is being restored

The celebrity videos are probably AD's bread and butter but I love these videos best.

Would love to hear (and see photos) of the beautiful Singer building. Thanks for your informative videos. Wonderful to watch.

I am 68 and did not know any of this ..I love history and architecture🐱 it hurts my heart to think of having destroyed these wonderful buildings 🌹

An unimaginable tragedy. Anywhere else in Europe these wonderful buildings would not have been destroyed.

Thank you for sharing great history.

It might be interesting to do a show on some of the early skyscrapers that were demolished, which is so strange when you think about it because they were still such a new, modern form of construction. The New York World Building is shown in this video, when was that torn down? But the Singer Building is one that really was a loss.

Is so fun see, at the time, how obsessed was about imitate European's architecture, maybe to looking for a sort of 'allure' or 'glamour'? In any case, thanks for share this excellent video.

This was a nice glimpse into history.

Love these videos and I expand my architectural vocabulary as well :)

I would like to see a discussion of the original Metropolitan Opera House.

Gorgeous video as always, but I think there’s a small error at around 2:38 : In the interior photo of the entrance, if 33rd St. is at the top of the pic and 31st. St. is at the bottom, the photographer would be looking uptown (north), which means that 8th Ave. should be on the left (west) and 7th Ave. should be on the right (east). In the photo they’re reversed.

@johnpaulsmajda

Жыл бұрын

I just wrote the same thing then found your comment! Kudos!

@johnpaulsmajda

Жыл бұрын

The sunlight also tells you we are looking north. Either the picture is inverted or the labels are wrong.

We need more of this series

I love these videos! Makes me love my city more and more ♥️

How could anyone with a heart be in any way involved with the destruction of such beauty.

@nycstarport8542

10 ай бұрын

They do not Care. It is all about $$$.

As a New Yorker, a history buff and a frustrated architect wannabe, I really enjoy these videos.

Great video of NYC architectural history!

Thank you for a fascinating video and for including the Herald building, which I didn't know much about, but was quite wonderful. How sad we only have black and white photos to remember these buildings by today.

Sad to see all this classicism get completely destroyed…