Everyone will come out with their own version of place instead the place that they normally see. New York is one of the biggest and busiest city in the world. However, New York is changing dramatically in every single day. While we are being busy for living, the city is being overlapping. Different people will have different feeling while they comparing their version of New York to the âNewâ New York. We can easily find the juxtaposition between âOldâ New York and âNewâ New York while we looking through from time and experience. Time and experience helping us to build our version of New York, and the version that exists in our brain is considered as memory. We should always remember our version of New York, because that is the version that sticking with us while the time is lapsing.
New York is a place that keeps giving people a concept of being modern and new. However, every city requires time to develop itself to become more modern and new. While I walking through around City Tech, a street name Fulton Street immediately captures my eyes because it is the perfect example of juxtaposition and overlapping. In my observation, most of the buildings in the street have four-story tall, have different style of windows, different shape of curves and different colors. These buildings will give a different view of New York if we just look them directly. However, we are unable to see all these buildings directly because most of the buildings have different sign on them, such as Footlocker, Polo, GameStop, etc. In addition, some of buildings have giant posters that representing the store is modern and commercial. The idea of these signs is the way of transforming these buildings into overlapping, because these all classical historical old buildings are being transforming into a modern fancy way to present. Furthermore, while I continue the walking, I can see there is also have new construction technology buildings with twenty to thirty-story tall, numerous small square windows, and a modern style of design with steel that can reflect light. Comparing to the fading brick, different styles of the windows, and with eighteen or nineteen centuryâs classic style of the old buildings, these new buildings immediately stand out and give a sense of being new, modern, and professional. We can easily find these juxtaposition while using our first-hand experience to observe these two different styles buildings because these buildings are making a huge contrast to help us view New York differently and building our version of New York. We did not know when these old classical historical buildings will be ignored and forgot their own style while comparing to the new modern buildings. Fortunately, we are still able to see them before completely transforming into commercial buildings.
With my experiencing, while I continue walking through the area around Fulton Street, I have discovered a very special old classical historical building, and the building is call âThe Dime Saving Bank of Brooklynâ. In addition, I continue discovering behind this bank, some workers are constructing a new building for âChase Bankâ. I believe this the symbol of that representing overlapping and juxtaposition. This place is being replaced by a new modern building, but also carrying out a different style while we comparing of old and new. The signs of âChase Bankâ already label on the Dime Bank building. What is the feeling of the old people who live together with Dime Bank building for almost a century? As I do my research on the Dime Bank building, I realize Dime Bank building is becoming an asset to Chase Bank in 2008 after the Washington Mutual failed. In addition, the Dime Bank building was built in the 1906 with the classical revival style. Dime Bank is already existing for over a century and being overlapped while Chase Bank is constructing a new building behind it. As I mentioned, I predict the new Chase Bank building will be also modern, tall, and professional. What is the feeling of us and old people while we looking this juxtaposition and overlap while comparing the Dime Bank building and the Chase Bank building? The commercial style is exist in the twenty-first century, and that will wipe out all the classical historical buildings. No matter how these old buildings still remain their appearances, their original style is already gone. In Colson Whitehead’s, âCity Limitsâ he said that âI never got a chance to say goodbye to some of my old buildingsâ because he is watching these old buildings are transforming into more commercial and forgotten. No one will be able to remember it is a Dime Bank that was built in the 1906, people will only remember it is a Dime Bank building that is part of Chase Bankâs assets. The next generation will be born with this kind of concept, and no one will be able to inherit the memory from the Dime Bank. Unfortunately, we are unable to change this rule, because it is the nature that we all have to accept.
In the end, Whitehead said âOur old building still stand because we saw them, moved in and out of their long shadows, were lucky enough to know them for a timeâ which telling us we should accept overlapping, because this reason that make our version of New York becoming more significant and meaningful to us. We should always feel thankful that we are lucky seeing the old buildings existing in our version of New York. While we are watching New York is changing rapidly, we can still smile because at the same time, New York is watching us growing and ageing. With the comparison of the new modern buildings, the old classical buildings can also easily capture our eye if we are willing to leave our footprint on these buildings. The next generation may not inherit our memory or our idea, but they can find our footprint to feel their first-hand experience by themselves. There is always a new outcome of feeling while we following a different peopleâs footprint in a different century.
