New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [49]
The building’s first light show was in November 1932, when a simple searchlight was used to spread the news that New York–born Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been elected president of the United States. Douglas Leigh, sign designer and mastermind of Times Square’s kinetic billboard ads, tried to brighten up prospects at the “Empty State Building” after the Depression by negotiating with the Coca-Cola Company to occupy the top floors. He proposed that Coca-Cola could change the lights of the building to serve as a weather forecast and then publish a small guide on its bottles to decipher the colors. Coca-Cola loved this idea, but the deal fell through because of the bombing at Pearl Harbor, when the U.S. government needed office space in the building.
In 1956 the revolving “freedom lights” were installed to welcome people to America; then in 1964 the top 30 floors of the building were illuminated to mark the New York World’s Fair. Douglas Leigh revisited the lights of the ESB in 1976, when he was made chairman of City Decor to welcome the Democratic Convention. He introduced the idea of color lighting, and so the building’s tower was ablaze in red, white, and blue to welcome the convention and to mark the celebration of the American Bicentennial. The color lights were a huge success, and they remained red, white, and blue for the rest of the year.
Leigh’s next suggestion of tying the lights to different holidays, a variation on his weather theme for Coca-Cola, is the basic scheme still used today. In 1977 the lighting system was updated to comply with energy conservation programs and to allow for a wider range of colors. Leigh further improved this new system in 1984 by designing an automated color-changing system so vertical fluorescents in the mast could be changed with the flick of a switch, the only automated portion of the building’s lighting system to date.
For a full lighting schedule, visit www.esbnyc.com.
Flatiron Building.
When completed in 1902, the Fuller Building, as it was originally known, caused a sensation. Architect Daniel Burnham made ingenious use of the triangular wedge of land at 23rd Street, 5th Avenue, and Broadway, employing a revolutionary steel frame that allowed for the building’s 22-story, 286-foot height.
Covered with a limestone and white terra-cotta skin in the Italian Renaissance style, the building’s shape resembled a clothing iron, hence its nickname. When it became apparent that the building generated strong winds, gawkers would loiter at 23rd Street hoping to catch sight of ladies’ billowing skirts. Local traffic cops had to shoo away the male peepers—one purported origin of the phrase “23 skidoo.”
There is a small display of historic building and area photos in the lobby, but otherwise you will have to settle for appreciating this building from the outside … at least for now; the building may be converted to a luxury hotel when current occupant leases expire in 2013. | 175 5th Ave., bordered by E. 22nd and E. 23rd Sts., 5th Ave., and Broadway, Flatiron District | 10010 | Subway: R, W to 23rd St.
Fodor’s Choice | Gramercy Park.
You may not be able to enter this private park, but a look through the bars in the wrought-iron fence that encloses it is well worth your time, as is a stroll around its perimeter. The beautifully planted 2-acre park, designed by developer Samuel B. Ruggles, dates from 1831, and is flanked by grand examples of early-19th-century architecture and permeated with the character of its many celebrated occupants.
When Ruggles bought the property, it was known as Krom Moerasje (“little crooked swamp”), named by the Dutch settlers. He drained the swamp and set aside 42 lots for a park to be accessible exclusively to those who bought the surrounding lots in his planned London-style