Say goodbye to most views of the landmark Woolworth Building. Over the last couple of years, what was once the tallest skyscraper in the world (1913-1929), has been getting lost in the skyline.
The Woolworth was one of the only buildings New Yorkers could use as a frame of reference in images of Lower Manhattan after the attacks of September eleventh. With the towers gone, the Woolworth was one of few buildings that told us what was north, what was south, what was up, what was down.
One of my favorite shots of the Woolworth was from the plaza of the World Trade Center (i.e., from the southwest). That picture can no longer be taken. See that boring new apartment tower above, to the right of the Woolworth?
Here's that tower from the south. Voila. No more Woolworth.
Here's the Woolworth from the west again, but notice the empty lot in the foreground...soon to host an obstruction.
At least the front of the building will remain visible...but only in the near vicinity, because as you can see below...
...8 Spruce Street, or the massive Beekman Tower by Frank Gehry, is climbing into the sky above the Newspaper Row and blocking the iconic view of the Woolworth from most of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Ah, well. Almost 100 years. It had a good run.
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