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You can read about the building in the awards program: here. The short version: this was a very ornate police precinct house constructed in 1892, when Brooklyn was still an inexpedient city, and abandoned for quite some time. Here’s what the interior looked like the first time we saw it: The structure was pretty much […]
a year ago

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More from Old Structures Engineering

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From Scientific American, December 8, 1894, an interesting view of two buildings: drawings that include both the above-ground portion of the buildings, more or less as you would see them, and the foundations as they could never be seen. The foundations are seen as if the earth had been turned transparent. The image of the […]

5 months ago 58 votes
Happy Christmas

I’m not so sure about that vest.

5 months ago 52 votes
Genteel

That’s the Hotel Marlborough at 36th Street and Broadway, shortly after 1900. The hotel opened in 1888 when the entertainment district on Broadway was further south; by the time it was demolished in 1922, that district had moved to Times Square, a few blocks to the north. It’s a story repeated for hundreds of buildings […]

5 months ago 55 votes
Once Again, In Plastic

The restoration of Notre Dame deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it, but have I mentioned recently that my son and I have built the LEGO Notre Dame? We finished our small Notre Dame about a week after the official opening of the large one, but they had a head start on […]

5 months ago 49 votes
It Looked Familiar: Archetypical

From a graphic novel about art called Naked City: how do you capture the spirit of New York? A relentless grid and Old-Law tenements.

5 months ago 56 votes

More in architecture

Inside a Wooded Hideaway Where Every Room Opens to Nature, Even the Sauna

Tucked into a five-acre wooded site just outside Seattle, Washington, the Interurban Residence is a quietly bold family home designed by Heliotrope Architects. Created for a family of four, this home turns its back on urban hustle and instead reaches deep into the forest, embracing sun, air, and natural materials with equal parts elegance and restraint. With interiors crafted by Amy Baker Interior Design and a landscape thoughtfully composed by Land Morphology, Interurban feels not simply placed within the forest, but deeply rooted in it.

3 hours ago 1 votes
Reading List for 05/31/2025

Wind wars, ALARA, power plant water use, grassroots opposition to data centers, and more.

2 days ago 3 votes
At First This Small Apartment Looks Simple, Then You Notice the Loft and Hidden Office

Located in Vila Mariana, one of São Paulo’s most traditional neighborhoods, this small apartment (398 square feet or 37 square meters) is a standout example of how compact living can be redefined through intelligent design. With interior design by RMV Interiores, the renovation focused on vertical space optimization and a contemporary material palette that balances efficiency with refined aesthetics.

3 days ago 3 votes
When There Is No Intelligence in Artificial Intelligence

AI is a tool for design, no more, no less. Humans are the creators.

4 days ago 4 votes
Can We Afford Large-scale Solar PV?

In the US solar energy has steadily risen in how much of our electricity it supplies.

4 days ago 5 votes