Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

Enduro KA-2

The title sounds like some techy gizmo thingy right? Or some random shiny acronym that I made up? Actually, it’s the kind of metal that clads the spire of the Chrysler building.

“Enduro KA-2” metal is an austenitic stainless steel developed in Germany by Krupp and marketed under the trade name “Nirosta” (A German play-on-words for “nie rost”, meaning “never rust”)

Categories
Architecture Photos Sculptures

Arrival

The Irish Government’s Office of Public Works commissioned a Famine Ship Sculpture, entitled “Arrival” by artist John Behan, which the Taoiseach was presented to the Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Anan, in December 2000.

The bronze sculpture, measuring some 7 metres in length and 8 metres in height, is a variation on the National Famine Memorial at Murrisk, Co. Mayo, on the West Coast of Ireland. In place of the heavily symbolic skeletal rigging at Murrisk, the human element in the UN sculpture is represented by survivors of the trip disembarking in the United States of America. A total of some 150 figures was cast in bronze, the majority on deck, with a small number descending the gangplanks.

The sculpture was cast at a foundry in Kilmainham, Dublin 8. Sculptor, John Behan is one of Ireland’s leading artists, his work is included in collections owned by, amongst others, President Clinton, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Placido Domingo and the late Samuel Beckett.

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

Solidarity Among Sisters

This sculpture was created by Silvio Russo and was a gift by the Arab women to the women of the world. The artist has shaped this gift in the form of an abstract image of a number of women, each of whom is holding out her hand to the next. This image then becomes transformed, with great artistic perception, into a radiant sun with its rays and warmth extending in all directions.

Categories
Architecture Photos Sculptures Urban

Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares

A bronze statue donated by the Soviet Union to the United Nations on 1959. It was sculpted by Evgeniy Vuchetich to represent the human wish to end all wars by converting the weapons of death and destruction into peaceful and productive tools that are more beneficial to mankind

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

Church of the Intercession

Categories
Architecture Photos Sculptures

El Cid

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

High Bridge Water Tower

This graceful water tower, located in Manhattan’s Highbridge Park at 174th  Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It has been a visual landmark on the heights of Manhattan overlooking the Harlem River since 1872. The tower was not part of the original Croton Aqueduct.  It was added to serve the growing number of residents in the villages of north Manhattan, which were at an elevation higher than the Croton Aqueduct.

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

Pipe Dream

Viewing the interior of a tower-like structure such as this for the first time is a thrill! As for the climb.. well that’s a different story.

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

Upwards and Uninterested

This is the second spiral staircase leading to the top of the tower. I ascended the stairs out of curiosity but found nothing of interest. I was a bit hopeful that I could at least get a more spectacular view than the one on the tank room but it was a dark windowless chamber. I wonder what it was used for?

Upwards and Uninterested is a song by a death metal band Napalm Death.

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

The annual OHNY weekend gives access to several places in the five boroughs that would normally be closed to the public. Of course St. Patrick is not one of those places because it’s open to the public most of the time. This photo was taken on top of the Rockefeller Center Rooftop Garden.

Categories
Architecture Landscape Panorama People Photos Urban

where’s the parade?

It’s the first day of OHNY 2007, and the first time for us to join, unlucky for us the weather was a bit overcast and gloomy. To the left is St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the view was fantastic not unlike viewing St. Patrick’s from below we had a different perspective of the cathedral along with fifth avenue. To top it off, peering over Rockefeller Center Rooftop Garden there was a parade going on so the short wait was worth it.

In a few months, the building in the middle (Saks Fifth Avenue) will be adorned with lights for the holidays.

Categories
Architecture Nightscape Photos Urban

icons

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

quattroporte

Categories
Architecture Photos Urban

Municipal

Read about it.

Categories
Architecture Landscape Photos Urban

coney island