COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY Department of Architectural Technology

ARCH 3522- HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY ARCHITECTURE (W) 3 credits

COURSE DESCRIPTION "A historical analysis of the city's infrastructure, real estate development, municipal planning and key buildings. This course will trace the course of American history from a village to a city, which is the commercial and cultural hub of the nation. Dynamic socio determinants emerging as a result of improvements and growth in technology, transportation, infrastructure, real estate, commerce, housing and recreation." (College Catalog, 2011-2013)

In our built-up urban environment, appreciation and knowledge of historic building is essential for the architect. Recognizing period styles and forms allows the architect to design new buildings within their context. More importantly, understanding past construction technologies and materials enables the architect to adapt and reuse existing buildings for current programs. Rehabilitation of the old saves today's resources and promotes sustainability.

This is a writing intensive course.

Prerequisites: ENG 1101 and one of the following: ARTH 1101, ARTH 1102, ARTH 1103, ARTH 1104, or ARCH 1121.

Required Texts: Roth, Leland M., A Concise History of American Architecture, New York: Westview Press, 1980. ISBN-10: 0064300862 | ISBN-13: 978-0064300865

Lankevich, George J., New York City: A Short History, 2nd edition, New York: New York University Press, 2002. ISBN-10: 0814751865 | ISBN-13: 978-0814751862

Attendance Policy: No more than 10% absences are permitted during the semester. For the purposes of record, two lateness are considered as one absence. Exceeding this limit will expose the student to failing at the discretion of the instructor.

Course Requirements: There will be several quizzes and written assignments throughout the semester, as well as a final research paper and a final comprehensive exam..

Grading: 35% Quizzes (5 scheduled) 25% Written assignments 25% Research paper 15% Final exam

Academic Integrity: Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting and citation of sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the college recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension and expulsion

Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to: 1. Explain how the development of NYC fits within the following themes of U.S. History: colonialism, immigrant population settlement, city planning, suburban development (urban sprawl) and urban renewal. 2. Identify the various cultures that have made their mark on NYC’s destination areas and

1 discuss how the city has been shaped both physically and legislatively by different cultures. 3. Explain the progression of key elements of New York City architectural developments from early European settlements to contemporary times. 4. Define the major differences between the technology of early New York and later architectural developments of the 17th, 18th and 19th century design and the modern movement. 5. Write descriptions of monuments (a visual primary text) using accurate architectural vocabulary. (Gen Ed) 6. Examine both the physical evidence of the city as well as theoretical writings on these topics and write brief comparative papers, leading up to the development of a thesis paper. (Gen Ed)

Assessment: To evaluate the students’ achievement of the learning objectives, the professor will do the following: 1. Test the students’ ability to recall and recite the key terms and material of the readings and lectures through quizzes, midterm and a final exam. 2. Determine students’ understanding of how the development of NYC fits within the following themes of U.S. History: colonialism, immigrant population settlement, city planning, suburban development (urban sprawl) and urban renewal. 3. Determine how well each students uses professional vocabulary in their written work and during class discussions and oral presentations. 4. Assess the students’ ability to identify the various cultures that have made their mark on NYC’s destination areas and how the city has been shaped both physically and legislatively by different cultures. 5. Determine how well each student can write a research paper.

COURSE OUTLINE Where indicated, topic headings taken from Leland M Roth, A Concise History of American Architecture, New York: Westview Press, 1980.

Week 1: "The Land and its Inhabitants" The Native Americans: characteristic "life style", language, typical buildings, ownership. Ecology of the city: topography, geology, water sources, climate, native vegetation, natural resources.

Reading Assignment: Lankevich pp. vii-xii; Roth pp.1- 8; http://welikia.org/:Read the discussion under the science tab; Under the download tab - publications, you will find these two articles to read: Sanderson, E.W. and M. Brown (2007). “Mannahatta: an ecological first look at the landscape prior to Henry Hudson.” Northeastern Naturalist 14(4): 545-570. pdf Sanderson, E.W. (2005). “Urban legend: discovering Manhattan’s wetlands.” National Wetlands Newsletter 27(1): 1;15-18. pdf

Writing Assignment: What conditions made the area we now know as New York City favorable for settlement by the Europeans? Using your lecture notes and recommended internet sources, write a 2 page paper on this topic.

Week 2: 1600-1785:Transplantations in the New World (Dutch and English); 1785-1820: Building a New Nation (Federal) The first European settlements, reasons for colonization. Settlements along the Eastern seaboard. Dutch settlements Nieu Amsterdam, Bruecklen, Flatbush 1625-1664 and English colony 1664-1785-physical description, characteristics of settlement. Types of buildings and characteristics - Vernacular styles. Heavy timber framing. The American Revolution and its effect on New York. The grid of 1812. The Federal Style – row houses and the increasing value of real estate. Pattern books.

Reading Assignment: Dutch: Lankevich pp. 1-7,13-17,20-21; 1625-1664:Roth p. 22- 27; English: Lankevich pp. 22-25), 37 – 48; 1664-1784: Roth pp. 28- 30, 32 – 35, 42 -43. Federal: Lankevich pp. 49-54, 57-58, 59 – 65; 1784-1820: Roth pp. 53- 55, 64-66, 82- 84.

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Writing Assignment: This year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the New York City (Manhattan) grid. In his article, Christopher Gray asks if the grid fostered or hampered the development of the city. Read the following articles and write your opinion of the grid. Is your neighborhood “gridded”? What is your experience of this?

Gray, Christopher, “Are Manhattan’s Right Angles Wrong” New York Times, October 23, 2005. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/realestate/23scap.html accessed 02-05-12.

Kimmelman, Michael, “The Grid at 200: Lines That Shaped Manhattan”, New York Times, January 2, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/arts/design/manhattan-street-grid-at-museum-of-city-of-new- york.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hpw accessed 02-20-12.

Wright Artis, “Designing the City of New York: The Commissioners' Plan of 1811” a blog and interactive map. http://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/07/30/designing-city-new-york-commissioners-plan-1811 accessed 02-05-12

There are also two exhibitions: The Unfinished Grid: Design Speculations for Manhattan An exhibition of eight visionary proposals for the future of Manhattan’s street grid Organized by the Architectural League in partnership with the Museum of the City of New York

In association with the exhibition The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011 On view at the Museum of the City of New York,1220 ,JULY 15, 2012

Week 3 and 4: "1820-1865: Lure of the Past, the Promise of the Future" (Revival styles) The classical language of architecture. America as the new Athens. Eclecticism and emotional associationalism. The growth of New York as a major seaport and commercial center. Introduction of new building types.

Reading Assignment: 1820-1865: Lankevich pp. 66-78, 80- 90; Roth pp. 85- 89, 95 – 101, 110 – 116.

Writing Assignment: HABS The Historic American Building Survey (Revival styles) This project was started in the 1930’s as a means of giving work to unemployed architects during the Depression. It continues to add material by employing students during the summer. The goal of this project is to document historic buildings in the United States by means of measured drawings and photographs. The information on any one building varies as does the buildings included. All the materials have been digitalized and are available on the internet through the Library of Congress. The web address for HABS is long and complicated. I find it easier to Google “Historic American Building Survey”. The information is organized by subject (type of building) and by place. To find a building by geographical location, you must select the state and then the county. What are the counties of New York City?

Select one of the New York City buildings. Describe the materials available. Write about how could these materials would be helpful if you were an architectdoing a restoration of the building? As a means of comparison, look at the file for Federal Hall (It is listed as US Customs House).

Week 5 and 6: "1865-1885: Age of Enterprise" - The Victorians (Romanesque style); Building Technology: iron and its alloys Application of steam power in transportation and construction. The use of wrought iron, cast iron and steel in structures. Each alloy varied in amount of carbon, methods of formation and working, relationship to structural forces, types of uses. Cast iron building facades are pre-fabricated. Development of steel framed skyscrapers begins. Three basic problems existed as the skyscraper developed -artistic expression, structure; fireproofing. Eclecticism influences a multiplicity of styles. Romanesque Revival Increasing immigration through the port of New York. The beginning of tenements. The planning of Central and Prospect Parks.

3 Reading Assignment: 1865-1885: Lankevich pp. 91- 94, 112- 121; Roth pp. 118 – 127, 135- 146, 160 – 164. Prepare for Quiz 1.

Week 7 and 8: "1885-1915: Urbanism and the Search for Order": The Gilded Age (Beaux-Arts and neo-Classicism) An era of extremes of wealth and poverty. Classicism reigns. A period of “creative eclecticism", historical association and eventually multiple period revival styles. New technology (steel framed construction, elevators, telegraph, telephone, electric light, terra cotta) allows the use of ‘high rise’ construction. The 20th century dawns with new technology and national power. Greater emphasis on sanitary conditions and fire safety leads to improved housing and work conditions. First zoning law in United States enacted 1916.

Reading Assignment: 1885-1915 Lankevich pp. 122 – 129, 132 – 137, 146 - 147, 149 – 151; Roth pp.17- 178, 187 – 197, 213 – 227; Dolkart, Andrew, “The Architecture and Development of New York City: The Birth of the Skyscraper” http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu/0242_2/index_text.html

Writing Assignment: The Birth of the Skyscraper (Gilded Age) Read: Andrew S. Dolkart, “The Architecture and Development of New York City: The Birth of the Skyscraper” http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu

In this essay, Dolkart is writing for the general public. He tells stories about the development of the skyscraper form in New York City. However, he still weaves facts and concepts throughout the essay. Your task is to extract the "big picture" concepts and support these ideas with facts. After reading the essay, answer the following three questions in a professional, academic style. Your responses do not have to be long, but should adequately explain your premise. Remember to start each answer with a topic sentence. Each response is independent of the others. You do not have to write one connected essay:1. Why did the skyscraper form gain prominence in the built environment of New York City? 2. What were two "necessities" to the development of the skyscraper? Discuss their role.3. In the early 1900's, there was a debate about skyscrapers. What was it? How was it resolved

Week 9 and 10: "1915-1940: Dichotomy: Tradition and Avant Garde" (Art Deco) Building technology: terra cotta Art Deco or Art Moderne style was profoundly influenced by the 1925 Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs & Industriels Modernes in Paris. Not limited only to architecture, but was a style of decoration applied to jewelry, clothing, furniture, handicrafts, graphics. The ‘art deco skyscrapers’, Chrysler and Empire State Buildings and a major innovation in urban planning, .

Reading Assignment: 1915-1940: Lankevich pp. 146 – 151, 156 - 161, Roth pp. 172 – 178, 187 - 197, 213 – 216, 225-227. Writing Assignment: Chose and begin researching one of the topics for your Research Paper. Example Topic: BUILDING METAMORPHOSIS: Additions, Reuse and Adjacencies We think of buildings as permanent, immutable structures in an unchanging environment. In reality, if a building survives fifty or hundred years, it has undergone several changes. Discuss how different ethnic communities have existed around a specific building and have effected change upon the building in terms of use or physical appearance.

The following is the suggested outline for the paper of 6-8 pages: Introduce your paper and state the thesis or idea at the root of your paper. ½ - 1 page Describe the building in its total context. 1-2 pages Compare and contrast styles, techniques and materials used to those typical of the early twenty-first century. 2 pages Analyze whether or not the building will merit landmarking in 30 years. Support your opinion with a series of arguments. 1-2 pages Summarize the research and thought process. ½- 1 pages

4 Bibliography: A minimum of 5 references are required. These may include books (give specific pages), magazine articles, newspaper clippings, or official records. Selected internet sources may be used. We will discuss in class what makes a source a valued reference. Use MLA format. If you Google MLA, you will find a lot of information and help on how to use this style. The Perdue Owl website is particularly helpful. Note that the MLA format is to be used for the bibliography, not the entire paper.

Week 11: "1940-1970: Pure Function, Pure Form" The International Style Building technology: curtain wall. City remade in the image of the “international school”. Architects such as Skidmore, Owings and Merrill authored and Mies Van de Rohe designed the . In contrast, Frank Lloyd Wright creates The Guggenheim Museum. The establishment of the Landmarks Commission in the early sixties in response to the Penn Station demolition. Sarinen – The TWA Terminal, CBS Headquarters Building. Planning the World Trade Center complex

Reading Assignment: 1940-1970: Lankevich pp. 188- 193, 196 – 198, 200 – 204, 207 – 212. Roth pp. 275 – 288, 291 – 297, 322– 324, 332. Writing Assignment: Work on Research Paper; Quiz 2.

Week 12: 1970-2000 Pluralism Architecture no longer adheres to a uniform set of principles and develops different approaches to form and materials.

Reading Assignment: Epilogue: Lankevich pp 230 – 233, 256 – 257;Roth pp 333 – 343 Writing Assignment: Work on Research Paper:

Week 13 – 14: 2000+ Sustainability and the Waterfront Emphasis on sustainable building practices. LEED certified and high performance buildings. Waterfront for recreation and industry gains attention.

Reading Assignment: Planyc 2030 http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/plan/plan.shtml; NYC High Performance Building Design Guidelines http://www.nyc.gov/html/ddc/html/design/sustainable_home.shtml The Soltaire http://www.batteryparkcity.org/page/page1.html Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan: http://www.nyc.gov/cgi- bin/misc/pfprinter.cgi?action=print&sitename=DCP&p=1335321256000 Writing Assignment: Work on Research Paper; Study for Final Exam

Week 15 FINAL EXAM

Bibliography Axelrod, Alan, American History A.S.A.P, New York: Prentice Hall Press, 2003. ISBN 0-7352-0305-9

Conduit, Carl W., American Building: Materials and Techniques from the Beginning of the Colonial Settlements to the Present, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.

Dolkart, Andrew S., Guide to New York City Landmarks, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2nd edition, 1998.

Gray, Christopher, “A Guide of Researching the History of a New York City Building” 1995-2012 http://www.nysoclib.org/articles/gray_1995.html

Nevins, Allan and Henry Steele Commager with Jeffrey Morris, A Pocket of the United States, New York: Pocket Books, 9th edition, 1992. ISBN 0-671-79023-4

Roth, Leland M., American Architecture: A History, Cambridge, MA: Westview Press, 2001.

Sanderson, Eric, Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York, New York: Abrams, 2009.

White, Norval & Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th edition, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

5 Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States, New York: HarperCollins, 1980. ISBN 0-06-090792-4

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