New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buidlings and Landmarks

I love NYC and this book is a pleasure to read and return to for more. Highly recommended.

doesn't mean that I can't recognize a great book when I see one. Christopher has the ability to bring buildings to "life." Andrea Stillman

Some books on the older buildings of New York City will give you the nuts and bolts about the structures: who designed it, who constructed it, when it was built, etc. And some photo books of old New York don't tell you anything at all. New York Times writer, Christopher Gray, with the assistance of the untiring researcher, Suzanne Braley, actually breathe life into these buildings. Not only do we learn the who and the when of a building's birth, but also the why and the how. Why were white brick apartment buildings so prominent at one time? How did the Winter Garden evolve from a huge stable? It's the little and, sometimes, epic anecdotes surrounding the buildings that fascinate Mr. Gray which, in turn, fascinate us. This is an indispensible book for anyone who loves the city, and who has ever stopped in front of a building and asked, "How did that ever get there?" Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS

As a New Yorker all I can say is this is the best book I've read about the city.

A tremendous gift to anyone who loves the history of Manhattan. Gray writes well, his information is military in both precision and accuracy and the anecdotes alone are worth the price of the book.My only wish is that one day, after he retires, a work of all his columns will be published. Perhaps the title "Gray's Anatomy" would suffice.