This verges on Curbed territory, but Gothamist was very intrigued by a NY Times Real Estate mini-feature about an apartment for sale. Rather, apartments for sale - two apartments in two buildings, connected by a 40-foot traverse on the Upper East Side (you can find the listing on Fenwick-Keats if you do a search - sale, Upper East Side, 1 bedroom, between $500,000-999,000). We had recently admired the much-photographed traverse on Staple Street in TriBeCa (pictured, left); corie said the House of Relief building, one end of the traverse, is now apartments, but Gothamist hasn't mustered up the courage to knock on the door and ask about the traverse. So, when we saw this real estate listing, we thought we'd pose some questions to our readers, as we know there's someone out there who must know more:
- How many pedestrian traverses/skyways are there in the city?Thanks to Matte for the questions. And for more on flipped-out modern cities, see Metropolis.
- How many are still used?
- Was there a architectural trend back in the day where they imagined the cities of the future would be a flipped out modern version of Venice where all foot traffic would be done through these interbuilding corridors because of the piled up refuse that would clutter the streets?
- What happened that made these walkways fall out of favor with architects?
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Have you ever been to Minneapolis? The "Skyway" system there is made up of more than 60 pedestrian traverses, inter-connecting just about all the buildings downtown. (It's a hedge against the long, cold Minnesota winter.) In the mid-90s I spent a lot of time there for work - the idea of never going outside was a little creepy at first, but the vast human habitrail grew on me pretty quickly.
I'm fascinated by New York's history. As I guess the only city in the European understanding of what a city is, New York is a neverending wonder to me. Reading 'The Gangs of New York' opened my eyes to a whole new world. Anyway, a great site and will have a butcher's each and every day.
"Skyway" is also the Replacements great song about the Minneapolis skyways and missed oppportunities.
Having been born and raised in Minneapolis, the first time I went to another city I was always asking "where are the skyways?"
Houston has a large part of the downtown connected by tunnels -- similar to Montreal but not nearly as extensive.
There was a City Planning report done in the early 80's called "Structures Over Streets" that listed the many airspace structures in the city (some well-known ones: the Watchtower traverses in Brooklyn, the Columbia Presbyterian skybridges; the Milstein Plaza Bridge over 65th Street at Lincoln Center, the Columbia Law School bridge over Amsterdam). There are numerous Hugh Ferriss images from his smoky, noirish drawings in Metropolis that show SLPCS (Second Level Pedestrian Circulation System) networks. Finally, two special zoning districts--Brooklyn Center and the Greenwich Street District--were eliminated from the City Zoning Resolution in the 1980s and 1990s respectively, but had among their requirements a system of second-level connections. The one vestige of that is the bridge over West Street to WFC from the block that had the Greek Church. It's a little complex to fit into a post.
One other odd thing about passages. When Terminal City was built in the early 1900s--the development around Grand Central--a series of private passages snaked from the Terminal to each of the surrounding building parcels underground. There were 22 in all. Some are still functioning--like the connection to the Chrysler Building and 347 Madison--but others are boarded up.
The Hunter College buildings built in the '80s are connected by two traverses across Lex. And I'm well familiar with the former WFC-to-WTC traverses, since I worked there before 9/11 and still do. The one at Liberty Street is largely intact, except for having been cut off at its eastern end and extended, but the northern one (perhaps the truer traverse of the two, since it connected the interiors of both complexes) was completely destroyed. It's been replaced by a bridge at Vesey Street.
As long as we're doing sightings, I believe there's a traverse or two connecting the Macy's department store to one of its adjoining brother buildings... tho I'd be surprised if they're still used.
I suppose traverses make a lot of sense in times of geater security consciousness, since they reduce inbound street traffic and also allow people to avoid unlit exterior areas.
The Newport Mall in Jersey City has at least seven of them, connecting several parking garages to the mall, and also connecting the Newport Tower complex to the mall, bridging street and the HBLRT light rail line.
You can still see the "ghost" of a traverse in the side of the VNU/Kmart building which used to be Wanamakers at Broadway/9th. The ATStewart Cast-Iron Palace burned down in 1956 and is now the site of the Stewart House co-ops.
http://home.nyc.rr.com/jkn/nysonglines/9st.htm
http://www.steeber.com/wanamaker/
I know of a great old one on 33rd St west of 6th Ave, the old Gimbels, there's another on 24th west of 5th, one more on 15th or 16th near 10th, and a modern one at the IDC complex in Sunnyside Queens.
the longest one I've ever seen is at a senior center in Far Rockaway and can be seen here...
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/borderlinefarrock/farrock.html
minneapolis? hells bells, don't get yr panties bunched. cincinnati has the exact same system of skyways connecting downtown buildings. must have been a 70's thing.
Ooh, great comments and links everyone. nicky, thanks for the tip - I'll have to try to find that study. Hong Kong has a lot of pedestrian bridges and skyway/traverses as well, but none are as quaint as some of the ones in NYC.
And Kevin, that pedestrian walkway in Rockaway IS long - and ugly too.
Here is a Bernice Abbott photo of a pedestrian bridge that was high above William Street in the financial district. The bridge no longer exists.
http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/a116.htm
Mike - any idea how William Street traverse was removed? It would seem to me that removing such a thing would extremely difficult.
there's another one one up at Columbia U. medical center up in Wash. Hts. Rumor has it you never have to walk around the neighborhood for any reason as everything you need is provided for you within the interconnected network of buildings.
photo:
http://t1.berlinprod.com/accounts/columbia/cvt_web11/misc_build/harkness/index.html
see also:
http://t1.berlinprod.com/accounts/columbia/cvt_web11/flash.html
There is one between the Met Life buildings (Madison Ave & 24th Street).
happens I just did an blog entry with a few pics (from the west 30s) on this same subject:
http://www.kapshow.com/newcities/archives/000390.html
small world!
This Sunday, August 15th from noon until 2pm I am having an open house in the unit for sale with the only private residential traverse in Manhattan (featured in the NY Times 8/8/04). I also have photographs of all of Manhattan's traverses on display during the open house at 61 East 77th St.
also a great one, going north from bloomindales across 59th, that they hang cool neon on over the holidays (usually big wreaths)
also a great one, going north from bloomindales across 59th, that they hang cool neon on over the holidays (usually big wreaths)