Full Width [alt+shift+f] Shortcuts [alt+shift+k]
Sign Up [alt+shift+s] Log In [alt+shift+l]
1

Seemingly Out Of Context

from Old Structures Engineering [alt+shift+b] in architecture

Given the vast numbers of commuters that the Long Island Railroad carries, It’s easy to forget that it also carries freight. From a couple of years ago, a view of tracks elevated above Glendale, Queens, as a freight train with a much-grafittied hopper car goes by some brick bow-front rowhouses:
yesterday

Stay updated

Get a weekly newsletter with the top 5 articles worth reading every week.

More from Old Structures Engineering

A Belated Personal Anniversary

I really intended to post this when it was the correct week (I don’t remember the day)…four weeks ago…but in any case last month marks the 50th anniversary of me starting to commute by subway, in 7th grade. At first it was simply the 7 train to Grand Central for school in east Midtown; the […]

1st Oct 2026 • 1 votes
The Astor Building 2

Keeping on with the construction photos of the St. Regis Hotel under its temporary name “the Astor Building”… Unlike my previous dive into the construction photos of the Equitable Trust Building on Broad Street, the main sequence photos here (which are numbered and dated) begin with the superstructure steel being erected. There are two foundation […]

1st Sep 2026 • 2 votes
It Looked Familiar: A Promotion

From an indie comic called “Bit Torment” – not really my taste, but that’s just an opinion – a view of the Regency Spire, which houses the World Parliament: From Carol Highsmith, a view of the south facade of the Empire State Building:

1st Aug 2026 • 1 votes
Proto-Modernist, Two Ways

I doubt I’ll ever run out of blog fodder because of what happened with this photo: I’ve walked by 135 Hudson Street many times, but I finally remembered to take a picture. You don’t see something like this every day. The simple facts: it’s a warehouse completed in 1886, facing the St. John’s Park freight […]

1st Jul 2026 • 1 votes

More in architecture

The Brooklyn-Queens Connector’s Greatest Risk Is Leaving Money on the Table

The IBX, New York City’s biggest transit expansion since World War II, could unlock tens of thousands of homes and billions in value.

4 hours ago • 1 votes
Urban design: Why architects should look beyond property lines

This post is brought to you by Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis Linda C. Samuels, an architecture and urban design professor at Washington University in St. Louis and author of “Infrastructural Optimism,” shares the impact an urban design perspective can have through the lens of two recent trips to New York. “There’s no question that urban design impacts the lives of all New Yorkers. Whether it’s the buildings we live in, the streets we cross, the parks we play in, or broader issues of housing, climate adaptation, public space, or transit accessibility, questions of design are always at stake.” Daniel Garodnick, former chair and director, New York City Department of City Planning, Principles of Good Urban Design for New York City Top/Up urbanism and TKTS booth, Times Square. Photos: Linda C. Samuels, 2010. The last time I was in New York City was 2010. Janette Sadik-Khan, the former transportation commissioner, had just painted Times Square with big red and green p...

5 hours ago • 1 votes
New and Old #288

The scale of commerce, preservation versus urban life, manufactured housing, and a funny restaurant review

16 hours ago • 1 votes
Inside A Modern Australian Home Surrounded By Tropical Rainforest

Designed by Void Building Design, Raintree is a contemporary three-level home located beside Noosa National Park in Queensland, Australia. The residence occupies a compact 350-square-metre site, yet manages to create a generous sense of space, privacy, and openness. With rainforest views, natural light, and cooling breezes influencing the design, the home offers a relaxed coastal […]

2 weeks ago • 3 votes
📚 BoredReading

You seem to be enjoying this.

Join free to unlock everything.

Create free account

Already have an account? Sign in