Archive for the ‘Queens’ Category
vast enclosure
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When you cut things down to the bone, and ask yourself the question “Who was the New Yorker that most profoundly changed the City?” it always comes back to one fellow. Ray Kelly or Mike Bloomberg would vie for the crown in modernity, in the long view of history Alexander Hamilton, DeWitt Clinton, Boss Tweed, or the Roebling clan have major claims on the title. Robert Moses would tell you that it was himself, and arguably, so would Osama Bin Laden.
In the opinion of a humble narrator, the crown belongs to one man- a Swedish immigrant named Othmar Ammann, and today is his birthday.
from wikipedia
Othmar Hermann Ammann (March 26, 1879 – September 22, 1965) was a American structural engineer whose designs include the George Washington Bridge, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and Bayonne Bridge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Brooklyn Bridge has the fame, Williamsburg Bridge the infamy, Manhattan Bridge is overlooked. The bridges of Othmar Ammann, however, are the ones which shaped the modern megalopolis and allowed the expansion and diaspora of New York’s laborers from the tenement neighborhoods of the five boroughs to the suburban satellites of modernity. The vast populations of Long Island and New Jersey and Westchester who commute into the city on a daily basis would have never achieved their current size, were Ammann removed from the story.
As a side note, and just to toot my own horn for a moment, the shot above was published last year in the New York Times- check it out here
Also from wikipedia
Othmar Ammann designed more than half of the eleven bridges that connect New York City to the rest of the United States. His talent and ingenuity helped him create the two longest suspension bridges of his time. Ammann was known for being able to create bridges that were light and inexpensive, yet they were still simple and beautiful. He was able to do this by using the deflection theory. He believed that the weight per foot of the span and the cables would provide enough stiffness so that the bridge would not need any stiffening trusses. This made him popular during the depression era when being able to reduce the cost was crucial. Famous bridges by Ammann include:
- George Washington Bridge (opened October 24, 1931)
- Bayonne Bridge (opened November 15, 1931)
- Triborough Bridge (opened July 11, 1936)
- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (opened April 29, 1939)
- Walt Whitman Bridge (opened May 16, 1957)
- Throgs Neck Bridge (opened January 11, 1961)
- Verrazano Narrows Bridge (opened November 21, 1964)
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Othmar Ammann was a bit of an artist, his bridges achieving a rare thing for engineering projects, which is the elevation of a functional structure to the sublime. A prevailing theory in fine art and graphic design which emerged in the 20th century is “less is more”, and Ammann’s spans are manifestations of this concept in steel and cement.
from smithsonian.com
By the early 1960s, when the George Washington’s lower deck was added (as specified in the original plans), Ammann had all but eclipsed his mentor. Ammann’s other 1931 creation, the Bayonne Bridge connecting Staten Island and New Jersey, was until 1977 the world’s largest steel arch bridge — more than 600 feet longer than the previous record holder, Lindenthal’s Hell Gate Bridge.
Months before his death in 1965, Ammann gazed through a telescope from his 32nd-floor Manhattan apartment. In his viewfinder was a brand-new sight some 12 miles away: his Verrazano-Narrows suspension bridge. As if in tribute to the engineering prowess that made Ammann’s George Washington Bridge great, this equally slender, graceful span would not be surpassed in length for another 17 years.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Eclipsed by the vain and power seeking during his sunset years, Ammann is one of the forgotten few who crafted the connections between the individual components of the archipelago islands of New York Harbor. Mighty Triborough or the graceful arch of the Bayonne Bridge speak to his sense of esthetic, and indicate that he was in touch with some higher imperative than merely moving automobiles from one place to another.
from nytimes.com
His works soar above the water, spanning the city’s rivers and connecting New York to the rest of the country. But who has heard of Othmar H. Ammann?
Donald Trump hadn’t, at least not back in 1964 when he was a high school student and his father took him to the dedication ceremony for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. ”It was a sad experience,” Mr. Trump recalled. ”For years, various politicians had fought the bridge. Now that it was built, I watched as these same people all got up and took credit for it, congratulating themselves and introducing one another. The only one not introduced was the man who made the bridge, Othmar Ammann.
Project Firebox 37
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Found in Long Island City, at the border between Tower Town and the forthcoming Hunters Point South development, is this survivor of earlier times. Strung loosely to a temporary lamp post, it sits just outside of a certain ancient building which has incalculably survived both the 20th century and the tidal forces of real estate speculation. This structure held the private offices of a certain and quite notorious figure, a man who was known simply as Paddy to those who knew him. The firebox isn’t talking, but a humble narrator will in future postings at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
shutters attached
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Portents and other warnings are manifest everywhere in the Newtown Pentacle- informing, catechizing, and warning. Some instruct the reader to beware, others caution against, some merely advise, while several specifically forbid. A belief exists that if one posts a missive on a signboard, it indicates “due diligence” or extends the authority and regulations of a certain property owner onto the public thoroughfare.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Some, like this one, speak to impermanence and suggest broad strokes of demographic inspiration and desire. Spotted on the streets of Astoria, the services offered might allow my neighbors to address me as “Mitch” rather than “Mits”, “Midge”, “Meetche”, or “Meedzeche”.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Relict, and perhaps a half century old, signage found along the gates of Mt. Zion Cemetery adjures passerby from violating the sanctity of this ancient place where the Maspeth Gypsies once camped.
transparent walls
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Criticism received for the Newtown Pentacle posting “Dim Entity” included the terms “false and misleading” and offered that the post’s assertation that the Federal Express site at Dutch Kills was offered as compensation for the loss of their location in Manhattan to make room for the new construction of luxury housing was abjectly false. Instead, this particular depot has instead been relocated to the Bronx rather than Queens, I have been informed.
As is Newtown Pentacle policy on the subject, and has been since day one, when I’m wrong corrections are eagerly accepted and passed on to you, my Lords and Ladies of Newtown.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In defense, the term “I guess” was used several times in the post, and it doesn’t change my allegation that hundreds if not thousands of truck trips through western Queens will be engendered by the siting of this facility. For those of you who do not live in the immediate locale, a dire and growing problem experienced by the populations of North Brooklyn and Western Queens is the geometric growth of trucks passing through the area.
Natural consequence of geography, being the terminal point of Long Island closest to the shining city of Manhattan, heavy trucks move constantly around us. Exhaust fumes paint the faces of our children with soot, and during humid weather the air is heavy with smoky effluvium.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Regardless of personal feeling about the matter, the fact of the siting of this depot was implied as being a quid pro quo, which offended sources have flatly denied. As such, retraction of that implication is offered.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Doesn’t change the fact that whenever a dirty industrial business needs land, it is found in Queens or Brooklyn or the Bronx or Staten Island. Look at the recent series of announcements of forthcoming municipal projects planned for possible construction within a mile of Newtown Creek as proof of this- whether it be a power plant that runs on sewage emissions, or one that runs on garbage instead.
hilltop pavement
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It is not impossible that your humble narrator was conceived in the back seat of a car like the one pictured above, observed recently on Northern Boulevard here in Astoria- or at least I hope I was. A 1966 Ford Mustang, lovingly cared for, and sporting the sort of style which defined the industrial supremacy of American auto manufacturing in the 20th century.
from Wikipedia
The first-generation Ford Mustang is the original pony car, manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1964 until 1973.
It was initially introduced as a hardtop and convertible with the fastback version put on sale the following year. At the time of its introduction, the Mustang, sharing its underpinnings with the Falcon, was slotted into a compact car segment.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
From nearly every perspective, whether it be safety or fuel economy or pure comfort- a modern car is preferable in a straight comparison to a vintage ride like this one. However, if you’ve never felt the volcanic rumble of a 1960’s muscle car starting up, or been pressed back into the seat by the acceleration…
from themustangsource.com
Not much changed for Mustang in 1966. The grille design changed a bit–the 1966 models had the running pony inside the corral free-floating on horizontal grille bars. The side trim was slightly revised and a restyled gas cap completed the exterior changes.
On the interior, the instrument panel was redesigned with five round gauges, replacing the panel borrowed from the Ford Falcon for previous model years. Ford broke the 1,000,000 Mustang mark in 1966–18 months after its introduction. To celebrate, Ford released the Sprint 200 Mustang. They were mechanically identical to other six-cylinder Mustangs, but had a chrome air cleaner and a special engine decal which read “Mustang powered Sprint 200.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Few cars are as iconic as the early Mustangs, there’s the GTO and Trans Am of course, but the Mustang just screams rock and roll. Driving this car without “The Doors” playing would just be a crime.
from dmv.ny.gov
Standard series historical plates for passenger or commercial vehicles display either:
- a five-digit number followed by the letters HX (for example, 99999HX), or
- the letters HX followed by a five-digit number (for example, HX22222).
- Standard series historical motorcycle plates display the letters HM followed by three numbers.
Personalized Historical plates for any historical vehicle or historical motorcycle are now available. For an additional fee, registrants can order personalized letter/number combinations of up to eight characters (includes spaces and/or a silhouette of New York State) or 6 characters/spaces (no state silhouette available) for a motorcycle. Personalized Historical plates have the word “HISTORICAL” along the bottom of the plate.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The dashboard exhibits classic form over function, with scores of knobs and sharp edges that would cut you to ribbons in an accident. This isn’t the design of modernity, overly concerned with what could happen, rather this is a can of Budweiser between your legs and a pack of Marlboro Red on the dash kind of design. Braggadocio on wheels, the chariot of a youthful culture manufactured before everything went so terribly askew.
Compare to the modern variant here: ford.com/cars/mustang/
