The development of lower Manhattan was changing for the better. New architects were creating essential buildings. A lot of the architecture were the beaux-arts style. Architects were creating things with classical influence while still wanting to be unique and stand out. The characteristics of most of the architecture we saw on our trip were dramatic, with sculptures and subtle detailing with tall columns creating grandeur entrances.
The City Beautiful movement was an important evolvement in the architectural world at the time. There was a lot of capital coming in, so to show the power and abundance. Architects would create things that could be seen from far away.
When arriving on Wall Street and Broad Street, You can see the mark that the dutch era had left. The widths of the streets were more prominent than most. So you can still see a little bit of the early dutch influence in particular streets were given higher key. If you look down on Wall Street, you could see the hint of where the old wall used to stand. Standing
Another factor of that era was on how to build a building and the three fundamentals things to keep in mind. A Base, A middle, and An end. When looking at buildings built in that era like the Woolworth. The base of the building is thicker while the central piece is taller than the last part gets thinner. Brooklyn Bridge marked a new era of engineering and architecture. The connectivity between Brooklyn and lower Manhattan quickly sparked the development of urban planning for Brooklyn.
Each of the buildings we saw is a unique treasure to New York City’s Architecture. Each marked a period in time where change was inevitable; wanting to stand out and be different was a must and embracing the old, but craving something fresh was part of design developments. Accepting the outline of streets that were here before and creating a new experience walking down a building was imbedded into the layout and spaces.