Skyscraper Museum
A couple days ago I finally made it to the new Skyscraper Museum in downtown Manhattan. I'd been looking forward to the opening for a long time, but unfortunately disappointed with what they had. The room feels a little claustrophobic, although it has a mirrored ceiling to make the center columns seem like they stretch up into the sky. But there are so many random columns you're not sure which direction you should proceed through the exhibit. Instead of something chronological - which would seem obvious - the exhibit seems random and lacking in depth. It's mostly about New York, so when one column's text just referred to zoning codes, you just have to assume it's about New York -- although stuff nearby is about Chicago. Also, this place really isn't at all set up for kids, except for some books and toys in the gift shop. There are a few interesting things in there that make it worth the trip, but I wish my expectations weren't so high when I entered.

They did have a copy of the front page of the New York Times from Oct. 28, 1927, which announced the stock market crash. The same front page announced the invention of the automatic pilot for airplanes and that the architects had just been chosen for the construction of Rockefeller Center. The only other thing I had in my notebook from that visit was something that was mentioned in a couple different ways.

The tallest buildings in any real estate cycle tend to be constructed at the climax of a real estate boom, just before a crash.

It pointed out that during the 1920s, 40 Wall Street, the Chrysler building, the Empire State Building and Rockefeller center were all built or begun in the boom years of the 1920s. I saw no mention of the AOL Time Warner building at Columbus Circle started during our own recent boom-time.
- posted by Amy @ 5/18/2004 12:17:00 PM