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How Mike Solved the Puzzle |
| Identifying the Buildings |
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| Quiz #398 Results |
| Answers to Quiz #398 - May 26, 2013 |
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| TinEye Alert You can find this photo on TinEye.com, but the quiz will be a lot more fun if you solve the puzzle on your own. |
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| Congratulations to Our Winners! Marcelle Comeau and John Berkey (team Berkey-Comeau) Grace Hertz and Mary Turner (Team Fletcher) Donna Jolley Dawn Carlile Rebecca Bare Gus Marsh Mary Osmar Carol Stansell Mike Dalton Arthur Hartwell Tom Collins Nancy Nalle-McKenzie Judy Pfaff Daniel E. Jolley Dawn Carlile Margaret Paxton J. J. Bibeau Kelly Fetherlin |
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| Photo: obviously from a NYC bridge towards NYC skyline. My first thought was Brooklyn Bridge, but its towers are concrete. NYC has its "top ten list" of bridges. Google maps shows bridge crossings in relationship to Empire State Building. Photo view appears to be almost South, West to East at about 12 noon. This narrowed down list to Triborough and George Washington bridges. The GW is much farther away and more directly south, where it crosses Hudson River from New Jersey. The GW is a suspension bridge of exposed open steel lattice work on bridge towers. Bridge piers are built from base up and bridge towers are built upon base. The deck work for bridge is built out from bridge towers and in this case with cables. The GW has West and East bridge towers. From a distance, lattice work looked similar to contest photo. I searched George Washington Bridge West Tower and found several contest photos on yahoo images. These particular images (website links) were not on tineye results, at least not on first 100. Mike Dalton ***** I don't think the Woolworth Building shows up in the picture. It is must further away from the GW Bridge, down closer to the tip of Manhattan, and much shorter. It only has 23 stories. I thought the third building might be the American Radiator Building (the American Standard Building), but it's close to the Empire State Building and only 20-somethign stories high. Its top has an unusual shape that looks like that middle one. But now I am not sure if I'm right. Colleen Fitzpatrick PhD Quizmaster General |
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The picture is of an urban skyline, but judging from how few buildings are present, it
was probably not taken recently. The style of the picture also suggests a photograph
from the early decades of the 1900s. A little research on early skyscrapers will identify
two of the buildings as the Empire State Building (to the right) and the Chrysler Building
(to the left).
was probably not taken recently. The style of the picture also suggests a photograph
from the early decades of the 1900s. A little research on early skyscrapers will identify
two of the buildings as the Empire State Building (to the right) and the Chrysler Building
(to the left).
| Empire State Building www.visitingdc.com/images/em... |
| Chrysler Building www.howardmodels.com/dpr/chrysler/chrysler12.html |
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Since the Chrysler Building was completed in 1930, and the Empire State Building was
completed in 1931, based on these two buildings, the earliest date for the photo has to
be 1931.
Furthermore, since the Empire State Building is seen on the right, and the Crysler
Building is seen on the left, the photo had to have been taken from north of the
structures, looking south, and from across the Hudson River. The location is an
open-frame steel structure with large rivets. The most likely location is the George
Washington Bridge. (See map below).
The other buildings were harder to identify, but they had to be skyscrapers that were
completed by about 1930, they had to be more than half the size of the other two, and
they had to be located in midtown Manhattan, between the Chrysler and the Empire
State Buildings as seen from the George Washington Bridge.
Wikipedia gives a list of Manhattan skyscrapers at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_York_City
There are only a few possibilities, including the GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Center,
completed in 1933. It can be identified in the picture by its wide, rectangular shape,
and its location between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, but nearer
to the Empire State Building along the line of sight of the photograph.
completed in 1931, based on these two buildings, the earliest date for the photo has to
be 1931.
Furthermore, since the Empire State Building is seen on the right, and the Crysler
Building is seen on the left, the photo had to have been taken from north of the
structures, looking south, and from across the Hudson River. The location is an
open-frame steel structure with large rivets. The most likely location is the George
Washington Bridge. (See map below).
The other buildings were harder to identify, but they had to be skyscrapers that were
completed by about 1930, they had to be more than half the size of the other two, and
they had to be located in midtown Manhattan, between the Chrysler and the Empire
State Buildings as seen from the George Washington Bridge.
Wikipedia gives a list of Manhattan skyscrapers at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_York_City
There are only a few possibilities, including the GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Center,
completed in 1933. It can be identified in the picture by its wide, rectangular shape,
and its location between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, but nearer
to the Empire State Building along the line of sight of the photograph.
| GE Building en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_Building |
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| George Washington Bridge |
| GE Building |
| 500 5th Ave. |
| Empire State Building |
| Chrysler Building |
| Manhattan Skyline Annotated (Order from left ot right will be reversed on map since the photograph was taken from the north). |
The Lincoln Building, located at 60 East 42nd Street, Manhattan, is the flat-topped
building in the center of both photographs. The Chrysler Building is to the far left in
each excerpt..
building in the center of both photographs. The Chrysler Building is to the far left in
each excerpt..
Other possibilities are 500 Fifth Avenue, the art deco style building located between
42nd and 43rd Sts in Manhattan, completed in 1931, and the Mercantile Building,
located at 10 East 40th St.. But as seen from the George Washington Bridge, these
structures should be visible between the Empire State Building and the GE Building.
Since there is nothing showing in this position, the building at 500 5th Ave is probably
eclipsed by the GE Building along this line of sight. The New York Life Building with its
pyramidal gilded roof, located at 51 Madison Ave across from Madison Square Park, is
not visible in the picture either, and is probably eclipsed by the Empire State Building.
Others that don't qualify are the Woolworth Building, completed in 1913, and 70 Pine St
(formerly the American International Building), completed in 1932. These two are
located in Lower Manhattan, and would only be visible in the distance, if at all.
42nd and 43rd Sts in Manhattan, completed in 1931, and the Mercantile Building,
located at 10 East 40th St.. But as seen from the George Washington Bridge, these
structures should be visible between the Empire State Building and the GE Building.
Since there is nothing showing in this position, the building at 500 5th Ave is probably
eclipsed by the GE Building along this line of sight. The New York Life Building with its
pyramidal gilded roof, located at 51 Madison Ave across from Madison Square Park, is
not visible in the picture either, and is probably eclipsed by the Empire State Building.
Others that don't qualify are the Woolworth Building, completed in 1913, and 70 Pine St
(formerly the American International Building), completed in 1932. These two are
located in Lower Manhattan, and would only be visible in the distance, if at all.
Going down the Wikipedia list of skyscrapers, there are a couple of others that can be
identified by their positions and their shapes.
identified by their positions and their shapes.
The building with the fluted top to the right of the Chrysler Buildings is the Channin
Building, 122 East 42nd Street.
Building, 122 East 42nd Street.
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| Lincoln Building |
| Channin Building |
| Mercantile Building |
| New York Life Building |
There are two still unidentified buildings that I will leve as exercises for the
reader: the structure between the Channin Building and the Lincoln Building
(see the annotated skyline above) and the small blck building in the left
foreground. (See thumbnail to right).
reader: the structure between the Channin Building and the Lincoln Building
(see the annotated skyline above) and the small blck building in the left
foreground. (See thumbnail to right).
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Final Note: The picture in this week's quiz can be found in the New York Metropolitan
Archives and on many other websites such as
omgtrolollo.blogspot.com/2012/05/historic-photos-from-nyc-municipal.html
"A view of the city from the New York tower of George Washington Bridge, 168th
Street & Hudson River, on December 22, 1936.(Jack Rosenzwieg/Courtesy NYC
Municipal Archives)"
However, note that if the photo had been taken from the New York Tower (on the
Manhattan side of the bridge) the photographer would not have been looking across the
Hudson River at midtown Manhattan. His view would have been over land. The
photograph must have been taken from the new Jersey Tower, 76 feet into the Hudson
River from the Jersey shoreline.
See www.nycroads.com/crossings/george-washington/ for more information about the
George Washington Bridge.
Archives and on many other websites such as
omgtrolollo.blogspot.com/2012/05/historic-photos-from-nyc-municipal.html
"A view of the city from the New York tower of George Washington Bridge, 168th
Street & Hudson River, on December 22, 1936.(Jack Rosenzwieg/Courtesy NYC
Municipal Archives)"
However, note that if the photo had been taken from the New York Tower (on the
Manhattan side of the bridge) the photographer would not have been looking across the
Hudson River at midtown Manhattan. His view would have been over land. The
photograph must have been taken from the new Jersey Tower, 76 feet into the Hudson
River from the Jersey shoreline.
See www.nycroads.com/crossings/george-washington/ for more information about the
George Washington Bridge.
This 2000 photo shows the George Washington Bridge (I-95, US 1, and US 9) from the
Fort Lee shoreline. (Photo by Mike Tantillo.) www.nycroads.com/crossings/george-washington/
Fort Lee shoreline. (Photo by Mike Tantillo.) www.nycroads.com/crossings/george-washington/