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The Abandoned Shooter’s Island off Staten Island with a Revolutionary Spy Ring History

May 28, 2014, 7:00 am
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Shooter’s Island off Staten Island. Image by Hudson Kayaker With the AMC Show Turn, the country is starting to get a wind of the history of the spy ring during the Revolutionary War. One spot is an abandoned island off of Staten Island, called Shooter’s Island, between Newark Bay and the Kill Van Kull. 43-acre Shooter’s Island is now part of the NYC Parks department but began as a hunting preserve for wild geese during the Colonial era (hence its name). According to the NYC Parks department, “George Washington used the island as a drop-off point for messages, and the place became a haven for spies.” Shooter’s Island from Bayonne Bridge. Image via Wikimedia by Jim.henderson Post-Revolutionary War, it then became a rather industrial site with a shipyard and oil refinery. The Townsend-Downey Shipbuilding Company actually built a racing yacht for Kaiser Wilhelm II, the emperor of Germany. Thomas Edison shot this video of President Theodore Roosevelt and… Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: SHoP Architects Under the Microscope, Homeless in NYC

May 28, 2014, 12:00 pm
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New York City How SHoP Became the City’s Go-to Megaproject Architects [Curbed NY] City wants love-struck visitors to stop attaching locks to Brooklyn Bridge [Daily News] Delays Plague New Waterfront Park in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park [Architect's Newspaper] Homeless in New York: A Public Art Project Goes Underground [Time] A Quest to Recognize Forgotten Achievements Still Relevant in Everyday Life [NY Times] Global Find the Closet National Park with this Handy Map [io9] Maya Angelou, Poet, Activist And Singular Storyteller, Dies At 86 [NPR] The Case Against Sharing [Medium] Powerful Photos Dig Into Turkey’s Taboo History of the Armenian Genocide [Wired] … Read More
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Manhattanhenge 2014 Edition Returns Tonight and Tomorrow!

May 29, 2014, 9:00 am
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It’s that time of year again, when New Yorkers flock like sheep to Tudor City, 34th Street and anywhere they can get a glimpse of Manhattanhenge, the phenomenon coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson that describes the sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan’s cross streets. It’s worth seeing, but you don’t need to be where the crowds are. Go to the East Side before 8pm and find a relatively wide cross-street. Starting at 8pm and finishing at 8:16pm, the sun will set precisely at the end of the street. Tomorrow, the same thing will happen but you’ll see the full sun instead of the half-sun. The whole thing repeats again July 12th and 13th this year. Here are some photos we’ve shot over the last few years and more information on how it happens: And the less-popular but equally awesome, Manhattanhenge Sunrise.   … Read More
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Explore the Remnants of a Former Prohibition Speakeasy in the East Village

May 30, 2014, 12:00 pm
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Back by popular demand is our speakeasy tour at the Museum of American Gangster, with the next visit on June 7th at 3pm. In 1964, a father and son were renovating a former speakeasy in the East Village into a theater when they came across two unopened safes in the basement. The speakeasy had been sold eagerly for a very cheap price and the entertainment business then was closely linked to mobsters. To touch their belongings meant death. Opening it with the former owner, $2 million dollars were found inside. What happened next has shaped the lives and the theater for the next sixty years. Join us for a tour and cocktail at this former Prohibition speakeasy on Sunday May 18th at 3pm, which includes a guided walk through of the Museum of the American Gangster. You’ll see the original safes that were discovered, the former escape routes for the mafia, and more. There… Read More
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JR’s Inside Out Project Takes Over the Pantheon in Paris

June 3, 2014, 10:00 am
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Image via JR on Facebook By now, we’re used to seeing large scale JR installations in public places like Times Square and Lincoln Center’s NYC Ballet. Or maybe you’ve caught pieces in smaller, unexpected spots like the Elizabeth Street Garden or seen his work in Rio de Janeiro from afar. And while his Inside Out Project, spurred by his 2011 Ted Prize win may now be bordering on ubiquitous, it still has the power to amaze depending on location. Today, JR has unveiled his latest at the Pantheon in Paris. The stunning building, which looks like this normally, has been taken over by photographs he received from all around the world. Read more about JR the artist on Untapped. … Read More
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Behind the Scenes Inside the New Leica Camera Factory and Headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany

June 4, 2014, 9:00 am
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When you think of some of the most iconic photographs ever taken–Napalm Girl by Nick Ut, the portrait of Che Guevara by Alberto Korda, the famous V-J Day kiss in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstadt, or Falling Soldier by Robert Capa, just to name a few–chances are they were taken by a Leica camera. Today Leica remains just as prestigious, but is a name more known among professional photographers than the masses. Leica Camera AG has been looking to change that, first with the steady stream of Leica store openings around the world, from Los Angeles to Taipei. In late May, Leica celebrated its 100th Anniversary with the launch of a brand new headquarters and factory in Wetzler, Germany, where the company began. Nick Ut in front of his iconic Napalm Girl photograph. He tells us he’s still friends with the girl in the photograph, who now lives in Canada. Untapped Cities got a… Read More
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Inside the Park Avenue Townhouse Studio of Architect Santiago Calatrava with the Municipal Art Society

June 4, 2014, 10:00 am
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In a lead up to next week’s Municipal Art Society’s After Dark Party for young NYC urbanists, to be held in a Park Avenue Gilded Age venue, the organization held a private event with the author of What Jackie Taught Us: Lessons from the Remarkable Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at the home and studio of architect Santiago Calatrava. For those just getting to know the name, Calatrava is the architect of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, bringing his signature style to the urban forest of downtown Manhattan. Santiago Calatrava’s Design for the new transit center at Ground Zero, due for completion in 2015.  Take a peek at the construction here. Image via Santiago Calatrava The event itself was situated in a Park Avenue townhouse, a survivor from a larger series of Queen Anne townhouses built when Park Avenue was not quite so wide. Though a home, the second floor serves much as a gallery. In… Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Underground River in Morningside Heights, Brooklyn Street Named Do The Right Thing Way

June 4, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading at the HQ today: New York City Searching for an Underground River in Morningside Heights [Scouting NY] Brooklyn Street to be Named ‘Do The Right Thing Way’ for Iconic Spike Lee Film [NY1] Is Kentile Floors Sign Coming Down at Last? [Gothamist] Night at the Museums is coming June 24th Sneak Peek Inside the Fulton Center [Tribeca Citizen via Curbed] Global The Fake Rooftop Town of WWII [Messy Nessy] Here’s What Tens of Thousands of People Who Didn’t Forget Tiananmen Look Like [City Lab] 1o Behind-the-Scenes Tours of Iconic Food Brands [Fodors] From Gravity to Inception: The Mind-Bending Movie World of Projection Mapping [Architizer] … Read More
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Neo-Gothic Church of St. Paul’s in Chelsea, NYC Tells Story of German Immigration

June 6, 2014, 6:00 am
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Right in the middle of New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood is an active remnant of the neighborhood’s immigrant past. The Church of St. Paul’s is the the oldest continually operating German-speaking church in New York City, and continues to be the only Lutheran church where services are held entirely in German. St. Paul’s will also fittingly be one of the venues for the 2014 Chelsea Music Festival, which begins tonight celebrating German and Brazilian music. Founded by Ken-David Masur, son of conductor Kurt Masur, and his wife Melinda Masur, the Chelsea Music Festival has been called by The New York Times as a “gem of a series.” Unique venues for the festival have included the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, the Park Avenue Armory, the Starrett-Lehigh Building (for tonight’s opening event), and the General Theological Seminary. The current Church of St. Paul’s at 315 W. 22nd Street dates to 1897, though the church had… Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Coney Island’s New Thunderbolt Rollercoaster, NYC’s First Post Disaster Housing Units,

June 11, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading in the HQ today! New York City Inside NYC’s First Post-Disaster Housing Units [Gothamist] The Fight to Find John Wilkes Booth’s Diary in a Forgotten Subway Tunnel [Newsweek] Coney Island’s Newest Roller Coaster Is Narrower Than Most Apartments [Gizmodo] The Best Buildings in NYC [Gothamist] includes our Top 10 Secrets of the Metropolitan  Museum article Turn Any NYC Subway Map Into a Dynamic 3D Infographic With This Augmented Reality App [Animal] Global Preservation and the Future of La Samaritaine in Paris, Île de France, France [Global Site Plans, Untapped previously] Man Trapped Overnight at Vegas Airport Shoots Ridiculous Music Video [Gawker] Inside France’s “Modernity, Promise or Menace?” – Special Mention Winner at the Venice Biennale 2014 [ArchDaily]   … Read More
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Daily What?! Meat Rushmore Beef Jerky Sculpture Lands at Columbus Circle

June 12, 2014, 12:30 pm
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Earlier this week we reported that there was going to be a beef jerky takedown at the Bell House in Brooklyn, cleverly titled “The World’s Biggest Jerkoff.” Today at Columbus Circle, beef jerky brand Jack’s Links unveiled “Meat Rushmore,” a sculpture made of beef jerky for #NationalJerkyDay. While we’re loathe to report on corporate stunts like this, we have to admit it’s pretty awesome. Here’s a making of video, which explains that it’s made of three types of jerky, collectively weighing 1,600 pounds, covering a base of non-meat. The sculpture took 1400 man hours to complete. Jack’s Links has roughly 50% of the jerky market in the United States, based on 2012 statistics. Even though jerky Mount Rushmore is no where close to full size, this summer you can find full-scale replica pieces of the Statue of Liberty sitting around Brooklyn Bridge Park and City Hall Park. Get in touch with the author… Read More
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Monumental Jeff Koons “Split Rocker” Piece Coming to Rockefeller Center

June 13, 2014, 11:00 am
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It seems like just yesterday that Jeff Koons’ 42-foot flowered “Puppy” graced Rockefeller Center, with the iconic image continuously surfacing but the artist hasn’t had a piece at Rockefeller Center in 14 years. That’s about to change with the unveiling of “Split-Rocker,” a 150-ton, 37-foot flower-sculpture that’s half pony, half dinosaur. Currently, you can see it come to life as live flowers get grafted onto the base before the June 27th unveiling. It’s been on display three times before since its inception in 2000, but just in Europe at the cloister of the Palais des Papes in Avignon in 2000, in the gardens of Versailles in 2008, and lastly at Foundation Beyeler. Completed Split-Rocker by Jeff Koons, image via Foundation Beyeler According to Foundation Beyeler, Split Rocker is a “disassembled and differently reassembled figure that simultaneously looks forward and to the side. Split-Rocker relates to the Cubism of Picasso while at the same time turning it… Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Picasso Curtain to Move from Four Seasons, A Wheatfield Grew in Manhattan

June 13, 2014, 12:00 pm
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Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading in the HQ today: New York City After Much Debate, Picasso Curtain Will be Moved from the Four Seasons [NY Times, Untapped previously] A Wheatfield Grew in Manhattan [Art Nerd NY] Watch Three Post-Disaster Apartments Get Built in 13 Hours [Curbed NY] American tragedy: The tale of the General Slocum disaster [Bowery Boys] Someone Should Steal This Invader Before Olympic Diner Is Destroyed  [Animal New York] Global Capturing Boston’s Subway System in Stunning Detail [City Lab] Inside the All-Too-Real Jails of Orange is the New Black [Architizer] Guinness’ Impact on Dublin’s Public Housing [Global Site Plans] … Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Closing of Antiques Garage, Fashionable Grandpas of NYC

June 16, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Antiques Garage Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading at the HQ today: Temporary Treasures: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Demolished New York Buildings [6SqFt] Then & Now Photos Depict the Rise of NYC [Curbed NY] Closing of Antiques Garage [Jeremiah's Vanishing NY] Every NYC Subway should have a singing motorman [Gothamist] Fashionable Grandpas of NY [Messy Nessy] Global A Brief History of the World’s Most Treasured World Cup Stadium [City Lab] An Insider’s Look at Google’s Project Loon, One Year Later [Fast Company] This Tiny Home of the Future Adapts to Your Activity, Creating a Virtual Reality [The Culture-ist]   … Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Weirdest AirBNB in NYC, Pissing Lenin Statue in Poland

June 17, 2014, 12:00 pm
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Here’s what the Untapped Cities staff is reading at the HQ today! New York City Check out the Most Eccentric AirBnB Pad in NYC [Messy Nessy] Inside the Paramount Theatre, Shuttered For Over 25 Years [Scouting NY] Expanding the Frick: Let the Hard Hats Come [New Yorker] Renovating the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum [NY Times] Global Blow-Up Diagrams Reveal the Underbelly of Seoul’s Subway Stations [Architizer] Pissing Lenin Statue Erected In Poland [Animal] Deadline is today for proposals for the Obama presidential library [LA Times] Germany’s First Waste-Free Supermarket [Higher Perspective]   … Read More
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Take a Tour of the Off-Limits Woolworth Building on Saturday August 23rd!

June 19, 2014, 9:00 am
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Our exclusive Untapped Cities Woolworth tour has been so popular, we’re offering more chances to check out the off-limits building this summer. Although our July 17th tour is sold out, our Saturday August 23rd tour has just gone on-sale today. This intimate, hour-long tour is led by Jason Crowley, a preservationist and architectural historian who is working to digitize and catalogue the New York Historical Society’s extensive collection of Woolworth Building archives. Jason will lead us across the street to City Hall Park where we’ll examine the highly ornamented exterior of what was once the tallest building in the world. After discussing the Woolworth’s crucial importance to the development of the skyscraper and the New York City skyline, Jason will take us into the lobby, where he’ll share commentary on the vaulted ceilings and sculptural details, and into the bank vaults of the basement. Following the tour, there will be an optional cocktail hour at… Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Most Radioactive Place in NYC, GE Sign Coming Down at 30 Rock

June 19, 2014, 12:00 pm
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Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading in the HQ today: New York City Huge Crowd Gathered Yesterday to Protest Pan Am Homeless Shelter [Brownstoner Queens] NYC in the Summer of ’49 [Gothamist] A Cute Disney Guide to NYC [Disney] Nightclub, Bowling Alley in Talk to Rent Historic Inwood Archj [DNA Info] The Sisters Who Run the Argosy [New Yorker] How Photographer Arthur Tress Turned An Abandoned NYC Hospital Into His Studio [Gothamist] Bid Farewell to 30 Rock’s GE Sign, ‘Comcast’ Will Top the Tower [Curbed NY] The Most Radioactive Place in NYC [Messy Nessy] Global See Why Hong Kong’s Neon Signs Are Better Than Your Neon Signs [Architizer] The Ethics of Reconstructing a Historic City: Florence, Italy Post World War II [Global Site Plans] … Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Kentile Sign Letters Removed, Bon Jovi’s $37.5 Million Penthouse, and a Town That’s Literally Under a Rock

June 20, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Image via Dan Nguyen flickr Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading in the HQ today! New York City Breaking: Kentile Sign Letters Being Removed Right Now [Gothamist] The 13th Street building that used to be Macy’s [Ephemeral NY] This Weekend: An Alice in Wonderland drawing party and a white party at the New Museum [6sgft] Tour Bon Jovi’s $37.5 Million SoHo Penthouse [Curbed NY] Global The Paris Shop of a Million Lost Photographs [Messy Nessy] Why commute times don’t change as a city grows [Citylab] The Town that is Literally Under a Rock [Messy Nessy] … Read More
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The Rock, A Fairy Tale Restaurant Perched in the Indian Ocean off Zanzibar

July 8, 2014, 11:00 am
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If there was anywhere to travel half way around the world for, it just might be The Rock in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This restaurant, perched on a rock in the Indian Ocean, seems dropped from a fairy tale. During high tide, it becomes a veritable island with a wooden boat taking you the short distance to shore. In low tide, you simply walk across the seaweed strewn beach to get to this magical place. Both methods will take you to a rickety wooden staircase and into the restaurant, built in the local Zanzibar architectural style with a Makuti palm tree roof. In the back, there’s a beautiful patio where you can grab a cocktail surrounded on three sides by the turquoise seas. Inside, there are 12 cozy tables for lunch and dinner. The Rock at low tide The Rock at High Tide The boat that takes you to shore Opened four years ago on a former… Read More
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Untapped Staff Picks: Public Bath Houses in NYC, Speakeasy at Limelight

July 8, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Here’s what the Untapped staff is reading at the HQ today! NYC What Became of NYC’s Ubiquitous Bath Houses? [Curbed NY, Untapped coverage of bathhouses previously] Speakeasy Hidden Behind Confessional Opening at Limelight [DNA Info] Did You Know the First Air Conditioning Was Installed in Brooklyn? [Gothamist] NY Today: The Vanishing High Line [NY Times City Room] Peeling Off the Painted Layers of NYC Walls: Experiments with the Google Street View Archive [NYPL] Pier Pressure: High Line Art Resurrects Classic Willoughby Sharp Waterfront Show [Gallerist] … Read More
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