Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Are These NYC's 10 Great Buildings to See?
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 21, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 21, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Buildings, clockwise from upper left corner: Prada Store Soho, American Museum of Natural History's Rose Center, Hearst Building, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Morgan Library expansion, Apple Store Soho, Conde Nast Building, and Seagram Building; in the center, Grand Central Terminal interior and the Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building. The Seagram Building. The Apple Store Soho? The Center for Architecture's executive director Rick Bell made a list of 10 great buildings to see in New York City (presumably for tourists) and spoke to the AP about it. The list spans two boroughs, a classic skyscraper, a beloved transportation hub, and retail stores, and some landmarks are deliberately left off (like the Empire State Building which everyone knows about):
- Conde Nast Building, for its "environmentally correct" design by Fox & Fowle.
- Brooklyn Museum, for the modern entry pavilion and plaza, designed by James Polshek, against its Beaux Arts facade; the AP writes the addition makes makes the museum "inviting and accessible, a suitable centerpiece for Brooklyn's burgeoning hipster art scene."
- Prada New York in Soho, designed by Rem Koolhaas, for the way it "displays the merchandise, it doesn't sell it."
- Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, designed by James Polshek.
- Apple Store Soho, designed by Ronnette Riley and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, with Apple's creative team, for putting the high-teching gadgeteria in an old post office.
- Grand Central Terminal, designed by Reed & Stern and Warren & Wetmore and restored by Beyer, Blinder & Belle.
- Morgan Library Expansion, designed by Renzo Piano, for his modern addition linked to the 1906 mansion-turned-library.
- Chrysler Building, designed by William Van Alen. "Bell thinks it should be" as well known as the Empire State Building.
- Hearst Tower, designed by Sir Norman Foster, for the "diagonal gridwork and see-through glass panels, with no vertical supporting columns."
- Seagram Building, deigned by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson (design architects) and Kahn & Jacobs (associate architects); Bell says, "It was this building that transformed our skyline.
What do you think of the list?
Tagged
American Museum
apple
apple store
Apple Store Soho
architecture
art
arts
brooklyn
brooklyn museum
buildings to see
chrysler building
city
conde nast
Conde Nast Building
empire state
empire state building
fox
grand central
grand central terminal
hearst tower
history
morgan library
museum
Natural History
new york
new york city
nyc
NYC architecture
Prada Store Soho
Rem Koolhaas
rose
Rose Center
seagram building
soho
State Building
The Apple
The Apple Store
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD arrests 25-year-old who stabbed a man to death on the J train
Police identified 59 year-old Mesias Lojano, who died after an unprovoked attack during Wednesday afternoon's rush hour commute.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 11:50 a.m. ET
Judge orders psych evaluation for man accused of killing woman in Central Park
Jonathan Robles faces a second-degree murder charge.
By
Samantha Max
News
Judge orders psych evaluation for man accused of killing woman in Central Park
Jonathan Robles faces a second-degree murder charge.
By
Samantha Max
Landslide or nailbiter? For House hopefuls, NY Gov. Hochul’s margin matters
By
Jon Campbell
NY Dems push bill in Congress to restore healthcare coverage, putting GOP on the spot
By
Caroline Lewis
Lost SNAP benefits? NYC says you can reapply for 3 more months of aid
By
Karen Yi
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .