Lost American Buildings

[cameronpaul]

Originally Posted by RegentHouse

I actually agree with you... for once.



The Gillender Building is probably one of the best examples considering its short lifespan and how it makes 14 Wall Street look boring.

Anyways, some NYC buildings.

City Hall Post Office and Courthouse:


Madison Square Garden (original):


Hudson Terminal:


Astor Hotel:


Biltmore Hotel (still existing, but completely unrecognizable):


Claridge Hotel:

Actually the Biltmore was demolished and replaced by a totally nondescript box. You are thinking of the equally fine Commodore Hotel (though not as good internally) It became the Hyatt Hotel and is as you say completly unrecognizable and completly forgetable!! I think the loss of the Astor was a terrible blow to the Times Sq. area, all the great theatres are also gone so the place is just a memory now trading on it's name but totally rebuilt from it's golden age of the 20's to the 50's.

[yankeesfan1000]

Originally Posted by Sandstein

The former San Francisco City Hall:

...

God I love this, stunning. Such a shame. The Astor Hotel is one of my all time favorites, so I appreciate your post Regent it looks so NY, and I of course appreciate everyones else's posts as well. I'll try and contribute a bit.

[Kenny]

I'm still drooling over the Chicago Federal Building, wow.

The LA Biltmore looks like the "old" NY Biltmore.

BTW, here's another great loss for the Los Angeles area.

Long Beach Municipal Auditorium







image hosted on flickr

Long Beach Municipal Auditorium by deeneedee, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, CA by Ron-Kane, on Flickr

[Taller, Better]

Okay, folks.... I've clarified to the member who was questioning the use of the term "American" here that it is referring to buildings from the United States of America. It is very common terminology to refer to the USA as "America", and its citizens as "Americans". In this specific instance, it is clear that this thread refers to architecture from the USA. Please, let's not derail the thread into an argument about which countries constitute NORTH America. Thanks!

[Chapelo]

Originally Posted by tanzirian

.

One distinctly American building form was the movie picture palace ... a great many wonderful examples in this architectural genre have been lost... but my favorite is the San Francisco Fox:

This is probably one of the few buildings I have ever weeped over the loss of. Penn Station, The Roxy, Singer Building, Chicago Federal Building, and the original WTC are also on that list.

[tanzirian]

The great expositions of the late 19th / early 20th century in both America and Europe produced some fantastic whimsical architecture. For me the most beautiful was the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915.




The one surviving portion of the complex is the Palace of Fine Arts:

[RegentHouse]

Originally Posted by cameronpaul

Actually the Biltmore was demolished and replaced by a totally nondescript box. You are thinking of the equally fine Commodore Hotel (though not as good internally) It became the Hyatt Hotel and is as you say completly unrecognizable and completly forgetable!! I think the loss of the Astor was a terrible blow to the Times Sq. area, all the great theatres are also gone so the place is just a memory now trading on it's name but totally rebuilt from it's golden age of the 20's to the 50's.

No it's still there (at least the steel), which makes me wonder. Is it likely these buildings will ever be restored back to their original appearances? It was actually proposed in numerous other places before.

[cameronpaul]

Originally Posted by RegentHouse

No it's still there (at least the steel), which makes me wonder. Is it likely these buildings will ever be restored back to their original appearances? It was actually proposed in numerous other places before.

Thanks for the info. I thought the Biltmore was completly demolished. Knowing what goes on in NYC at the moment I think it is highly unlikely that either the Biltmore or the Commodore have much chance of being restored to their (much superior) original appearance. The old masonry skyscrapers of Manhattan are a real symbol of that city IMO - these glass and steel things can be seen anywhere in the world and they are becoming so boring.

[cloud32]

Here are a few I know of (most of them being in Detriot):

Old Detriot City Hall:



http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/m...s/090132pv.jpg

The Hudson Department Store:



http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/8f...05258_1965.JPG

At the time of demolition it was the largest building by floor area (i think) ever to have been demolished.

The mansions of Brush Park, a once thriving and up-market area of (now inner-city) Detriot. Some of these are actually being cheaply reconstructed by enthusiasts of the old buildings:



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DTbnUSpnx9...Brush-Park.jpg



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DTbnUSpnx9...Brush-Park.jpg

image hosted on flickr


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2660/4...ae09311a_z.jpg

And just to be different. The Maslon house in Rancho Mirage, California:



http://www.metropolismag.com/webimag.../ob1a_t346.jpg

It was designed by modernist architect Richard Neutra and demolished in just one day before a local opposition group could perform the relevant legal action to save it.



http://www.architectureweek.com/2002...mage_2.150.jpg

[tanzirian]

While San Francisco's 1915 Panama Pacific gets my vote as beautiful of the circa 1900 expositions, Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian was undoubtedly the grandest...


image hosted on flickr

[Chapelo]

Probably the grandest exposition of them all. Gorgeous.

[xtinataguba]

they should have preserved those buildings.its already part of our history.

[william of waco]

This was the magnificent Victorian post office building that stood in my hometown of Waco. It barely survived the 1953 tornado that destroyed half of the other historic structures in the downtown area. Over a decade later the post office along with numerous blocks of well preserved row houses were demolished for the sake of urban renewal. They replaced it with a one story modern office building that has been mostly empty ever since. The blocks where the row houses once stood became empty lots, not even used as parking space.


http://www.allacrosstexas.com/

[RegentHouse]

The worst part about the Chicago expo was most of it was intended to be temporary and a park takes up most the space. They should have kept it and moved the country's capital there. It makes D. C. look like a shanty town.

[CF221]

I think it should have at least been re-converted for other uses.... There's no reason to tear down something as beautiful as this!

[CF221]

Originally Posted by william of waco

This was the magnificent Victorian post office building that stood in my hometown of Waco. It barely survived the 1953 tornado that destroyed half of the other historic structures in the downtown area. Over a decade later the post office along with numerous blocks of well preserved row houses were demolished for the sake of urban renewal. They replaced it with a one story modern office building that has been mostly empty ever since. The blocks where the row houses once stood became empty lots, not even used as parking space.


http://www.allacrosstexas.com/

sad

[Bulevardi]

Originally Posted by RegentHouse

Anyways, some NYC buildings.

City Hall Post Office and Courthouse:

Stunning !

[Galro]

New York times old building at Time Square (the high, thin one). The building as such is still standing, but it have been re-clad into the unrecognizably.




Same building today: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Times...9.99,,0,-25.46

[CF221]

Wow, that is gorgeous.

[Piltup Man]

Originally Posted by xtinataguba

they should have preserved those buildings.its already part of our history.

In many cases buildings and structures built for world fairs etc were not meant to be permanent from the outset, and the building materials used would have reflected that.