Good stuff from FYI section in The New York Times. 1) view of Manhattan from buildings, 2) Info about the ancient power plant and 3) name origin of Maiden Lane
Q. The Empire State Building’s observation deck is the most famous, but what other buildings in the city have decks?
A. The Top of the Rock, from the 67th to 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, opened last fall. The 70th floor had been open as an observation deck from 1933 to 1986. The Statue of Liberty’s traditional observation area in Liberty’s crown is closed to the public; a lower observation deck in the pedestal is now used.
“There used to be many more vantage points,” John Tauranac, the architectural historian, noted in an e-mail message. “Visitors used to climb to the top of Trinity Church, the tallest thing in town in 1846, and marvel at the view.”
He continued: “The Metropolitan Life Tower opened in 1908. In 1911 it was charging 50 cents to visit its observation gallery on the 50th floor, reached by steps from the 44th. In 1913, the Woolworth Building opened with its open-air observatory.
“In 1928 the Paramount Theater Building at 1501 Broadway had an observatory. In 1930 the Chrysler Building boasted an observation lounge. The Cities Service Building at 70 Pine Street (today’s American International Building) had an observation platform. There was even talk of opening a viewing area-cum-restaurant atop the Manhattan tower of the George Washington Bridge. And the observatory atop 2 World Trade Center stood tall from 1972 until 9/11.
“Only the Empire State Building and 30 Rockefeller Plaza remain.”
According to The AIA Guide, the 26th floor of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower in Brooklyn once had outdoor viewing space.
Power With Class
Q. While I was walking along the West Side waterfront, I was struck by the beauty of the ancient power plant at 59th Street and 11th Avenue. Can you tell me more about it?
A. Joseph Petta, a spokesman for Consolidated Edison, responded by e-mail: “The West 59th Street Generating Station began operation in 1905. It was the first plant built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company to supply electricity to its IRT subway system, which was being constructed at the same time.
“The exterior was designed by Stanford White in the French Renaissance style, with cut granite, pressed brick, terra cotta, and marble all used in the building’s exterior.”
The city took possession of the building in the early 1930’s when it bought the IRT lines, and Con Ed bought the station from the city in 1957. “Although the station no longer generates electricity,” Mr. Petta wrote, “it continues to produce steam, which is used in 100,000 Manhattan establishments for heating, hot water and cooling.”
The Landmarks Preservation Commission held public hearings on the power plant in 1979 and 1990 but did not designate it a landmark.
Maidens of Old
Q. Maiden Lane is such a pretty name. Where did it come from?
A. The maidens at the time probably didn’t stop to think it was so pretty, because they were too busy scrubbing clothes there.
Now it’s a business street on the edge of the financial district, but in the early days of New Amsterdam, it was a footpath beside a pebbly brook that ran from Nassau Street to the East River. One side had a gentle, grassy slope, which made it a good place to wash and bleach laundry. The task was usually given to the young girls of the family. The Dutch called it Girls’ Path. In the evening, it made a good lovers’ lane.
MICHAEL POLLAK
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