New York City offers a variety of different types of architecture and sometimes only a particular type captivates ones eye. New York City is very easy and accessible when it comes to its architecture, most of the time. It has a mix of various types of styles that have developed our city today.
My favorite type or style is historical architecture. It’s not just one type of style, there’s a variety and mixture of many. Historical architecture consists of several styles, but the main key of them is where and how they were developed. For me, architecture is the beauty of its origin, intellectual design, and handcraft.
As a student in the architecture field, I have found myself constantly asking why a structure was developed. What was its purpose. Why did the architect or builder think of using a certain material rather than another. My personal favorite material is terracotta and stone. Terracotta can be used for sculpting almost anything as long as its done properly. I especially like the colors such as cream, white, some nice beautiful reds that catch the eye. When coming across a structure made from those materials I automatically know that it took a lot of time and hard work to get to the final piece. Of course, back in the early centuries we did not have the advanced tools we had today to build a structure faster but it shows that a tremendous amount of effort was put in. The irony today is that even though we have advanced materials and tools, we fail to build anything within the anticipated time.
Historical architecture consists of so many wonderful designs and techniques that you get lost within a single detail. The Beaux Arts is one of my favorite styles when it comes to the beauty of architecture. Not a single side or corner is left behind with its design. Every single bit and piece has to to be connected to the entire structure one way or another through ornamentation, this is the definition of “horror vacui”. You can tell from the different elements that each and every curve or shape is elegant and has significance to the the rest of its design.
An example of the Beaux Arts is the NY
PL. It is one of my favorites because I have been there several times and each experience held something new. There will always be something new to look at when I go there. From the outside to the inside, I find the smallest of details that go unnoticed. Again, thats what Beaux Arts is all about, nothing is left to the ordinary. The front facades are decorated with sculptures and ornate patterns along the faces as to the inside with a unique sense of detailing from top to bottom. You actually need to stop and look for a short while to actually take everything in.
Another main thing about historical architecture is that it needs to be maintained for it to keep its originality. Today, I find that we are unable to to upkeep and maintain these structures and they start to fade or corrode. Even when “modern architecture” is added to the historical pieces of architecture, I feel that so much is taken away from the original i
dea, the original form. There are even points when I think that a modern piece of architecture is just plopped in the middle of nowhere between prized possessions of architecture. Its a shame that in the city, New Yorker’s don’t see the importance of the origins. It’s where everything started. A founding country.
Great read. I didn’t even know that “historical architecture” was even a name for a style. And you’re right I feel like new yorkers don’t really value the structures they have surrounding them. It’s a shame.
I agree with you when you say “architecture is the beauty of its origin, intellectual design, and handcraft” I think that too. That’s why I chose the Brooklyn Post office building as example of my favorite style, I think in order to understand architecture you must look at it’s origin it’s older buildings. That’s the only way people would fully understand architecture.