I can't help but notice the Singer Tower standing proudly at the far right of the frame at 20:40. My favorite lost treasure brought to my awareness by Its History . Thank you the videos Ryan !
Pretty sure someone erred in the photos. I believe the article was referring to "ash wood," not burnt ash as shown at 13:08. Ash is used for furniture, flooring, doors, cabinetry, architectural moulding and millwork, tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, oars, turnings, and is also sliced for veneer.
I love these historical documentaries on how, who and why buildings were constructed, where their name came from, and why some got demolished, one of my most favourite documentary on Rise and Fall buildings is Old Pennsylvania Railroad Station, such a shame, and to build Madison Square Gardens on top.
I grew up watching the Disney live action musical “Newsies” about the newsboys’ strike of 1899, organized by children working for the New York World. I didn’t realize until now that the filmmakers actually showed this building several times in the film, and I am surprised and impressed that Disney went to that level of trouble in the name of historical accuracy for a children’s movie!
@@Sacto1654 This was the same false argument pushed for the destruction of many buildings. Happily, this was not taken as true, and many older structures were not only saved, but refurbished and put to good use. The Singer Tower was destroyed out of pure greed and ignorance. If they could have saved the Woolworth Tower, they could have done the same to the Singer. The Singer was a victim of the ethos of the 60s, which did not understand the conservation of older, historic buildings. It was only later in the 70s, that a more widespread appreciation of older buildings began to unfold. By then, many of the great gems of architecture in American cities had become a mere memory. The late 50s, and throughout the 60s and 70s, saw a wholesale destruction of many historic and notable buildings. Cities cannot just contain edifices which are cost efficient and low maitenance. They must also inspire, delight and dignify. Most modern buildings seem to appeal to the bottom line, which is cost. Which is why they're mostly overbearingly drab and exhibit little or no character. This exolains why a small, three story, townhouse in the Village is more engaging then a post war, sleek pared down, multisory highrise.
It's crazy to me that a building that tall would look so tiny so quickly, so much so that it got demolished to make way for a bridge ramp. That height would make it like, the 2nd or 3rd tallest building in my country TODAY lmao. New York's skyline is just insane!
This might be a little out of the box, but I have a great topic for a building video. In Rotterdam, The Netherlands there is a building called (translated) "The White House." It was built in the 1890s after the designers saw New York's sky scrapers and envisioned one for their city. Its only 43m/141 ft tall, but has survived everything from storms to Nazi bombardment.
It's a dire shame that in the 2nd half of the 20th century a lot of architectonic Marvels and Beauty have been demolished, because of greed or stupidity. Penn station, Singer Building, the Placa in this video and so many more, also Urban Transportation like the Trolleys and Cable cars, and Industrial Landmarks as the Piers and Docks.
Across any structure's lifetime, there comes a point when maintenance costs > replacement costs. How is anyone really surprised that the country known for the economic system that has greed as a foundation, would demolish their history instead of preserving it?
NYC is notorious for replacing beautiful architecture with drab, soulless super-tall glass and concrete towers. It's a wonder the Woolworth Building and Grand Central Station are still standing. The destruction really began in earnest in the 1960's. In fact, most cities around the world have become look-alikes - like science fiction backdrops or rat warrens. Except for visiting some museums and a few pockets of charm like Greenwich Village and Central Park, I've no desire to visit NYC again.
Spot on! I personally witnessed the destruction of many of the buildings in NYC and in Chicago. What replaced these beautiful creations, simply indicates our trajected decline. The destruction of the Worlds Largrst train station; Penn Station, was so disastrous and a monstrous mistake, that New York, over half a century later, still suffers from its lasting effects. Penn Station represented clarity, order, discipline, encapsulated in a dignified space. This singular example of urban grandeur, was replaced with confusion, disorder, mean, compressed spaces not fit for man, but cattle. The destruction of Penn Station symbolized the long decline and decay of Patrician New York, into the pedestrian and mediocre city it is today.
Why is it in Europe, they preserve their buuldings...building hundreds of years old still in use...yet here in America, we tear everything down after 5 minutes. It's sad
Because they have beautiful and important buildings to preserve....this building would not be one of them. It is typical of Victorian-era pastiche, borrowing elements from different periods and not usually successfully. The Chrysler Building and Empire State are around today because they are designs of their own time that defined a particular style and adapted it to its usage.
My Great Grandfather Esdale Cohen , AKA Doc Cohen , worked at The Evening World until he died. He started as a reporter and when he died he was an Editor . I never met him and wish I could learn more about him . This was a great video , thanks
We have a rich history and it's kinda depressing that not a lot of Americans know.... I didn't know how much I didn't know about history of the United States until I found this channel. We weren't taught jack in School
You should do a video about the "Whitehall Building" constructed in 1902. It still stands today and is very iconic with it is large arched window. Not many people know the name of this Building but they recognize it when they see it. It appears in a lot of movies and was in the foreground of much of the 9/11 footage.
Another amazing video about NYC forgotten sky scrapers. I never heard of this building. I’m curious where was it located? I see city hall in the picture and the building is there. I wonder what is in place of that location. Being that I work down there. I will find out
Great vid! Was the use of Australian and New Zealand soldiers as the image at about 19:20 intended? Curious what the ANZAC connection is if it was intentional :-)
Agree one hundred percent with the commentator. New york has lost so much of its extraordinary structures, like Penn Station, the Produce Exchange, Ernest Flagg's Singer Building, to be replaced with overblown, drab, and mediocre monstrosities. The process continues, with the historic Pennsylvania Hotel, presently biting the dust. New York is hell bent on transforming itself to just another global city, with the same global ethos. Glad I remember how the city once was.
Bombarding the view with dozens of statistics in imperial and metric is offputting. You need a more relaxed narrative to go with your excellent research
@@cashewnuttel9054 they could actually rebuild this building in the same spot, but a few stories above the ground level to keep the new roadway where it is. It would be taller with a tunnel threw it.
The opening comments about the Empire State Building, while true, seem a cop out. It was in direct competition with The Chrysler Building for tallest and won due to the spire added just for this reason. But The Chrysler Building is so much more aesthetically pleasing. It is truly a work of art. Whereas Empire overshadows in reputation, it sorely lacks the style and pleasing design.
At 12:05 to 12:25 really so they would not want us to know that back then this building was providing its own energy and crazy old world transport tube by demolishing it.
I am sad this building and the Singer survived WW2 and were later - trashed away. I had some confusion of the location of this building and some neighbors! None of old pictures showing City Hall and Newspapers Row help; I had no idea the original approach to Brooklyn Bridge must have been steeper. I thought perhaps World Bldg was on the site of plaza in front of Pace U. but there is an 'extra block' to account for!
I like the building's architecture in theory but in practice it just looks weird. Like a really tall, oddly proportioned county courthouse, if you know what I mean.
I love the share. The narrative hard to believe. Especially when one of the most influential journalist wrote it. Do you know how many amazing buildings like this were built in america during the same time? And how fast they did it. We cant even rebuild the roof of notredam in 15yrs now a days even with our technology today? But back then they could build a whole building in a few years. Then before ww2 they decide to tear this building down. Personally i think they rewrote history. Those buildings were there, they just fixed it and claimed they built it, like every other old world building? He who writes history imprints your reality!
All uniqueness has been steadily erased in favor of sameness... Every city looks identical anymore... Its super gross. Bring back awesome unique buildings and Landmarks.
"Just a decade into the turn of the century the New York World had reached its zenith. It was only downhill from there. The paper began decliing in the 1910s and the 1920s but their news did not slow down. In an effort to increase circulation the paper shifted its focus to more provocative and radical topics. And although this type of journalism did not attract more readership, it did attract the attention of some pretty scary figures in America as a result. Armed guards and police were stationed outside of the building around the clock as the paper continued its descent into obscurity. Nothing could save the World, and hence the paper met its disillusion in 1931." Not sure about your facts. Decline during the 1910s and 1920s?? Writer Heywood Broun created the concept of the op-ed section of the newspaper, making the World one of the most popular papers in New York until he was unceremoniously fired for his editorials supporting Sacco and Vanzetti (this, in 1928). It was a direct result of this firing that the number of people reading the World decreased, and they had to sell to their competitor.
While I appreciate its history, I've never liked the World Building. It looks as if someone had taken any of the country's neo-classical/Beaux Arts state capitols and put it in a girdle.
Use some critical thinking skills here. The story does not add up. Not even close. Who is actually buying this story? It's obvious they did not possess the capabilities to build such a building at that time, at that pace. Those pictures are not of a brand new building, those are of an old & weathered building. Give me a break When they say a building was 'Founded in (insert year)', that's exactly what happened. They Found the building, it was already there. Someone else built it, not in the late 1800s that's for sure. Just as all buildings that look like that in this realm/country/world. spruced it up a little bit, and claimed that they built it. There's no good construction photos in that video are there? Of course not. Drawings. That's what we get, drawings. And maybe yè oldé ladder lean. They built that building how fast? With basements that were how tall? And the dome that was how high? With what kind of equipment & construction technology? They don't build stuff like that today, who actually thinks they could build it back then. What a joke.
