Architectural style
Pointed arches and vertical details appear in Gothic Revival churches, towers, and institutions.
Compare St. Patrick's Cathedral with the New York Life Insurance Company Building. They show how the style was used for different building types and scales.
31 building histories
Religious · 1922-23
142 West 138th Street, New York, NY
The Abyssinian Baptist Church, built in 1922-23, is the home of one of New York City's oldest church organizations and the second oldest within the family of African-American churches, in Manhattan.
Read the storyReligious · 1850
64 Norfolk Street, New York, NY
Striking in, profile, this smooth-faced stone Synagogue is an interesting example of modified Gothic Revival architecture. Raised on a platform of steps above the street, the recessed center section of the symmetrical...
Read the storyCommercial · 1916-18
132 West 42nd Street, New York, NY
The Bush Tower, designed by the prominent architectural firm of Helmle & Corbett and built in 1916-18 (added to in 1921) was an influential prototype for set-back skyscrapers, even though it was designed prior to the...
Read the storyResidential · 1849
151 Avenue B, New York, NY
Charlie Parker, called "Bird," was a world-famous alto saxophonist and jazz composer. From late 1950 through October 1954 he and his common-law wife Chan Richardson occupied the ground floor of No. 151 Avenue B, located...
Read the storyReligious · 1846-48
9th Avenue & West 28th Street, New York, NY
The outstanding feature of the Church of the Holy apostles is its very handsome spire which is enhanced by unusual detail. In its relatively small size and in the context of its modern environment, the scale of...
Read the storyReligious · 1844-46
Avenue of the Americas & West 20th Street, New York, NY
Although an urban church, this small Gothic Revival group of buildings has more nearly the feeling of a rural parish. The extreme simplicity of the architecture and the picturesque profile of roofs and towers give to...
Read the storyReligious · 1844
47 West 20th Street, New York, NY
The Gothic Revival Rectory of the Church of the Holy Communion should be considered as a part of the charming group of buildings, including the church of which it forms a part. Yet, taken by itself and considered as a...
Read the storyReligious · 1864
209 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
This handsome Gothic Revival church and adjacent parish house occupy a prominent corner Site at Madison Avenue and East 35th Street. Designed by architect Emlen T. Littell, the church was built in 1864. The present...
Read the storyReligious · 1867-68
547 East 11th Street, New York, NY
The Eleventh Street Methodist Episcopal Chapel (later People’s Home Church and Settlement, now The Father’s Heart Church) was constructed in 1867-68 to the design of prominent architects William Field and Son. The firm...
Read the storyCommercial · 1909
1770 Broadway, New York, NY
The A.T. Demarest & Company and Peerless Motor Car Company Buildings, located in the heart of the "Automobile Row" section of Broadway in Manhattan, were used by the automobile industry for over six decades. They were...
Read the storyReligious · 1812
103 Washington Street, New York, NY
The former St. George’s Syrian Catholic Church is the most significant remnant of the Lower Manhattan immigrant enclave known as the “Syrian Quarter,” the “Mother Colony” of Syrians and Lebanese in America. Immigrants...
Read the storyReligious · 1843-46
800 Broadway, New York, NY
The Gothic Revival truly began in New York City in 1846 with the advent of two new churches of great significance. One was Richard Upjohn*s new Trinity Church at Wall Street; the other was James Renwick, Jr.'s Grace...
Read the storyReligious · 1846
804 Broadway, New York, NY
The Grace Church Rectory is probably one of the finest Gothic Revival residences in Manhattan. It belongs to that early phase of the Gothic Revival in which an attempt was made, by differentiating the bay windows, to...
Read the storyReligious · 1897-98
149 West 123rd Street, New York, NY
An embodiment of the cultural life of Harlem during the past century, from its period of great urbanization through its physical and demographic changes, the (former) St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church was...
Read the storyCommercial · 1948-50
488 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
The 21-story Look Building dates to 1948-50, when the minimalist aesthetics of European Modernism first began to transform the character of “setback” office buildings. Located on the west side of Madison Avenue, between...
Read the storyReligious · 1923-25
148 West 137th Street, New York, NY
In 1914, when Mother Zion moved to Harlem, the black population of that community was centered on the streets of the West 130s, between Fifth and Eighth avenues. Not just Mother Zion, but others of New York's most...
Read the storyResidential · 1906-07
98 4th Avenue, New York, NY
This handsome building is one of the finest in the City. It is an integral part of a picturesque group of buildings, all designed in similar style, that form part of the Grace Church complex, and it is a part of the...
Read the storyCommercial · 1926-28
51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
The 40-story tower for the New York Life Insurance Company, one of the "big three" insurance companies, was designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert in 1926 and constructed in 1927-28. The building is Gilbert's third...
Read the storyCommercial · 1912-13
247 West 43rd Street, New York, NY
Built in three stages between 1912 and 1932, the New York Times Building reflects both the development of the Times Square neighborhood and the history of one of the most highly-respected newspapers in the United...
Read the storyReligious · 1809-15
263 Mulberry Street, New York, NY
Although only the shell of this building remained intact after the church was completely gutted by a fire in 1836, the original Cathedral, when completed in 1815, was one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival...
Read the storyReligious · 1902-04
467 West 142nd Street, New York, NY
Constructed on the north side of West 142nd Street, Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church is located on a mid-block site measuring 75 by 100 feet. Built by the O' Reilly Brothers in 1902-04, the firm's design...
Read the storyReligious · 1883-86
47 East 129th Street, New York, NY
The Roman Catholic Church of All Saints, with its lively and animated design and exceptionally fine ornament, was created by one of New York’s leading nineteenth century architects, James Renwick, Jr., of the firm of...
Read the storyReligious · 1850-55
15 West 25th Street, New York, NY
Justly celebrated for its fine proportions, this imposing brownstone structure is an excellent example of the large metropolitan church done in the English Gothic Revival style. It is a pleasing edifice, rugged in...
Read the storyReligious · 1858-59
266 Mulberry Street, New York, NY
St. Michael's Chapel of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral, a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture, was built in 1858-59 as a chancery office and was designed by James Renwick, Jr., in association with William Rodrigue....
Read the storyReligious · 1882-83
288 East 10th Street, New York, NY
This lively and picturesque brick and terra cotta church complex was constructed in 1882-83 as the Memorial Chapel of St. Mark’s Parish, and was donated to the church by Rutherford Stuyvesant in memory of his deceased...
Read the storyReligious · 1858-79
50th Street & 5th Avenue, New York, NY
James Renwick designed St. Patrick's Cathedral for a site on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. Its cornerstone was laid in 1858, but the Civil War and funding difficulties interrupted construction. The...
Read the storyReligious · 1910-11
216 West 134th Street, New York, NY
St. Philip's Protestant Episcopal Church, built in 1910-11, is the fourth home of New York City's first African-American congregation of Protestant Episcopalians. From its beginnings as the African Episcopal...
Read the storyReligious · 1897
308 West 122nd Street, New York, NY
The Mount Olive Fire Baptized Holiness Church, with its distinctive facade combining elements of the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles, was constructed in 1897 for the Second Reformed Presbyterian Church of...
Read the storyClubhouse · 1845
16 Gramercy Park, New York, NY
This building was remodeled from a Gothic Revival town house. The very distinguished front porch of the Players with its handsome iron railings and gorgeous wrought iron lamps is the work of Stanford White. Few...
Read the storyReligious · 1928-30
498 Riverside Drive, New York, NY
Located in Morningside Heights on a high bluff overlooking the Hudson River, The Riverside Church is one of the best-known religious structures in New York City. An ecumenical church, with its roots in the Baptist faith...
Read the storyReligious · 1846
Broadway & Wall Street, New York, NY
The present Trinity Church, completed in 1846, is the third edifice of this Episcopal parish, founded in 1697, to stand on this prominent site, closing the vista at the end of Wall Street. The present Church is one of...
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