New York’s Most Iconic Buildings

By Phin Upham

New York is, in many ways, the modern exhibition hall for American architecture. The rise of steel production and new building methods allowed for the creation of grand skyscrapers that turned the New York skyline into something iconic. People the world over come to visit these incredible sights. Here are a few of our favorites.

Chrysler

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style building that held the title of world’s tallest skyscraper for 11 months. The trump card that put it at the top of the pack was a special spike that was secretly constructed within the building’s frame to hide the owner’s true intentions. Nearly 400,000 rivets were used in the construction of the building. Riveting the spire took 90 minutes.

Empire

One of America’s great cultural icons, the Empire State Building, towers 1,454 feet over Midtown Manhattan. It’s been named one of the world’s seven wonders, and its observation deck is visited by nearly 3.5 million people each year. Ticket lines can be long, but the view is worth the trip. It’s rumored that the building makes more money selling tickets to visitors than it does from charging its residents rent to use the facility.

Flatiron

One of the world’s most distinctly-shaped buildings, the Flatiron on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, was a groundbreaking building for its time. Today’s architecture is a lot more inventive, but the unique shape required a change in New York’s building codes to complete. The Flatiron building opened the door for steel-skeleton construction.

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About the Author: Phin Uphamis an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website or Twitter page.