22 March 2012

Two Manhattan Humpbacks, in Harmony


I was looking at this monolith, the Baruch College Academic Complex, on Lexington and 24th, the other day and thought I hated it. How obnoxiously out-of-context, I thought. No respect for the surrounding neighborhood. Why that mammoth sloping glass facade?

Then I turned around and walked half a block and was reminded of the nearby presence of the old 69th Regiment Armory, built in 1906. The drill hall part of the building is a hunchback itself, isn't it? The Baruch building is almost a modern reflection of its shape. I'd like to think the architects of the newer structure, built in 2000, were thinking of their neighbor when they built it. But even if they weren't, it's a lovely juxtaposition.

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