A History of New York in 27 Buildings: The 400-Year Untold Story of an American Metropolis (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781620409800)

From the urban affairs correspondent of the New York Times--the story of a city through twenty-seven structures that define it.

As New York is poised to celebrate its four hundredth anniversary, New York Times correspondent Sam Roberts tells the story of the city through bricks, glass, wood, and mortar, revealing why and how it evolved into the nation's biggest and most influential.

From the seven hundred thousand or so buildings in New York, Roberts selects twenty-seven that, in the past four centuries, have been the most emblematic of the city's economic, social, and political evolution. He describes not only the buildings and how they came to be, but also their enduring impact on the city and its people and how the consequences of the construction often reverberated around the world.

A few structures, such as the Empire State Building, are architectural icons, but Roberts goes beyond the familiar with intriguing stories of the personalities and exploits behind the unrivaled skyscraper's construction. Some stretch the definition of buildings, to include the city's oldest bridge and the landmark Coney Island Boardwalk. Others offer surprises: where the United Nations General Assembly first met; a hidden hub of global internet traffic; a nondescript factory that produced billions of dollars of currency in the poorest neighborhood in the country; and the buildings that triggered the Depression and launched the New Deal.

With his deep knowledge of the city and penchant for fascinating facts, Roberts brings to light the brilliant architecture, remarkable history, and bright future of the greatest city in the world.

Author: Sam Roberts
ISBN-10: 1620409801
ISBN-13: 9781620409800
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Language: English
Published: 10/22/2019
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2019
Publishers Weekly 09/16/2019
Library Journal 11/01/2019 pg. 85