The Brooklyn Bridge was built in 1883 to connect the City of New York with the City of Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed, and the…
In this short video from video producer Jan Somma-Hammel for the Staten Island Advance, learn all about the history and origin of the Staten Island neighborhood of Lighthouse Hill.…
Ever noticed the tiled walls in subways and wondered why they’re there? It’s not just about style—it’s about light, cleanliness, and early 20th-century problem-solving. In this video, we…
Can you imagine riding down Broadway on a special sidewalk cart? In 1872, a proposal by Alfred Speer would have had the street lined with tracks and carts for the first moving sidewalk. Back…
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is arguably the most famous Christmas Tree and lighting ceremony in the world. Now a major media production and concert with superstars, the ceremony…
The London Underground had been completed - the world’s first subway system - was completed in 1863, but it was plagued by the dirty soot of its steam-powered trains. Alfred Beach promised…
This great vintage photograph from around 1915 shows the view looking west from the Manhattan side of the Manhattan Bridge. The most noticeable structure is the three-facaded Manhattan…
Renzo Picasso was an Italian architect, engineer, and urban planner of the 20th century. In this blueprint from 1929, titled American Multiple Highway, Picasso proposes a stacked roadway…
The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation, or BMT, ran all the below-ground subway and above-ground trolly lines in Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan up until 1940, when the City purchased…
Renzo Picasso was an Italian architect, engineer, and urban planner of the 20th century. In this blueprint from 1929, titled American Multiple Highway, Picasso proposes a stacked roadway…
