A glimpse of grandeur, a photo from New York, Northeast

Photographer's Note

There’s a building just north of the Chinatown/Little Italy border that I’ve always been impressed by. It takes up two city blocks, and is hard to fit completely into a frame, so here’s just a glimpse that I captured during a walk this past September.

This building, on Centre Street, is the former New York City Police Headquarters. It was built in the Beaux Arts style between 1905 and 1909, and was the headquarters from 1909 to 1973. There are a lot of impressive details, such as a large, copper dome, majestic columns, a rooftop observation deck, and limestone statues representing the five boroughs of NYC. This building was designed to impress both officers and prisoners, but it remained empty for more than a decade after the police headquarters moved to a new location. It was transformed in 1988, can you guess into what???

Yes! This majestic building, where former prisoners were booked, and police practiced their shooting in the basement, is now home to luxury condos. It is now known as the Police Building Apartments. The 55 apartments have been home to celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Calvin Klein, among others. It was designated a city landmark in 1978, and a national historic site in 1980.

Please take care everyone!

pajaran, Fis2, COSTANTINO, holmertz, Royaldevon, PaulVDV, jhm, jean113, PiotrF, alvaraalto, macjake, quovadis, fotka, clic, ikeharel, ChrisJ trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Silvio1953 (205890) 2020-11-08 13:10

Ciao Brenda, great perspective on fantastic building, fine details, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Tue (82360) 2020-11-08 13:22

Hello Brenda,
That is really a beautiful and impressive building with lots of grandeur indeed. I can't remember seeing it myself when I was in NYC. I like how you framed it by the façades on both sides of the street. I think I can congratulate you on this weekend's event! :-)
Lars

Fis2 (155762) 2020-11-08 13:32

Witaj Brenda!
A very nice view from street.
This building makes impression, I like dome.
Good framing, colors and sharpness.
Well done.
Warm regards.
Krzysztof

lousat (130061) 2020-11-08 14:32

HI Brenda,surely the apartments will be very expensive, but it is really fascinating to live in an art nouveau building like this. Truly beautiful and imposing, it is difficult to believe that in the past it was the headquarters of the police. The perspective is very original and the details are excellent. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

ifege (32433) 2020-11-08 22:14

Hi Brenda
A good photo of a very impressive building.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (104259) 2020-11-08 22:32

Hello dear Brenda and have a nice day
and a happy new week
too impressive this building
which was built in the Beaux Arts
style.....
welldone
regards
Costantino

jemaflor (135520) 2020-11-08 23:27

Hi Brenda,
well photographed this street and monument, good zoom effet, fine quality, interesting, tfs.

emka (152388) 2020-11-08 23:58

Hello Brenda, Interesting time for America and the rest of the world :). Our "President" wait with the gratulations for the official news.
beautiful view of this wonderful building with the green dome. I do not remember it, I must check in mu archive if I missed it? I like these fire stairs, like from the movies.

Have a nice new week. The situation with COVID is tragic in Poland. Now with almost 30,000 new cases every day, the good news is when it is not more. Strange effect.
Best regards Malgo

holmertz (92938) 2020-11-09 2:35

Hello Brenda,
It's a really majestic building and I understand it's hard to capture it all in one shot. But I don't mind having other buildings, traffic lights and a few cars in the foreground. They all contribute to the big city atmosphere.
I made sure there was no connection with you-know-who before I decided to give this 2 points. ;-)
Best regards,
Gert

PaulVDV (54931) 2020-11-09 2:47

Hello Brenda,
I don't think I've been on this street. I took a look at Google Maps and funny, but the supports that we see in the front right of your picture were also there when Google Maps took their photo.
I seem to understand that you will not immediately become a neighbour of Leonardo DiCaprio and Calvin Klein.
The former New York City Police Headquarter is a stately building that does indeed make a big impression.
For me it is strange to see such a building in the same street as a facade with a fire escape ladder.
But of course this is New York.
It's a pity that because of COVID-19 meetings are dangerous because last weekend NYC was able to hold its ultimate party.
Best regards, Paul

Royaldevon (75584) 2020-11-09 2:54

Hello Brenda,

Excellent notes to accompany this fine shot of the Police Building Apartments. Had I been requested to say what was the purpose of this building, I would never have thought of Police Headquarters! I'm glad it has been given a new lease of life rather than demolition.
I wonder - if people are ringing up the present residents if, instead of saying, 'Are you at home?' they say 'Are you in prison?'! 🤣

The details of your photograph are sharp and you have composed the photograph beautifully, so that we are quickly funnelled to the focal building.

I'm sure the election results have had an uplifting effect on you ... and many others!

Have a good day and stay safe, Bev :-)

jhm (203133) 2020-11-09 10:25

Hello Brenda,

You show us a nice cityscape, but a lovely old tower makes your picture addition attractive.
Also nice depth and perspective.
Nice composition and good presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

jean113 (22131) 2020-11-09 10:55

Hello Brenda, isn't it amazing how buildings can be 'recycled' /transformed into something completely different?
Who would have ever imagined that a place where prisoners were ensconced would become luxury condos?
It is certainly a very fine building, and due to its design really stands out on the New York street.
You did well to get this view.
Thanks for the informative notes.
Kind regards, Jean.

PiotrF (52330) 2020-11-09 16:36

Hello Brenda,
Interesting view of this majestic building., great architecture.
I like fine details and informative note about Police Building Apartments.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

alvaraalto (42354) 2020-11-10 0:54

Hello Brenda,
Not the expected picture full of happy people on the streets of NY as I expected a bit, but it is probably wiser to stay away from busy crowds.
Let's hope the revelry doesn't lead to new outbreaks. However, we can already see that Biden is taking the virus seriously.
A lovely photo that gives a more modest look at New York. The mix of buildings, like the mix of people, is one of the aspects that make the city so attractive.
Have a nice day, groet Rob

macjake (96157) 2020-11-11 1:15

Hi Brenda
well, where to start? Looks like Biden is IN and Trump is Fired! that's great news! Still shocking though, that Trump got 70 Million votes. Lets hope it settles the world for at least 4 years. Yesterday I heard Trump is thinking about running again in 2024. Oh boy. Moving on....I remember this building, but I never really got any good shots of it and i'd love to check inside. Interesting to hear its now an upscale condo unit. I wonder how spacious the rooms are. Very cool! another great NYC landmark which surprises me. cheers
Craig

quovadis (5677) 2020-11-18 21:14

Hi Brenda.

A very nice street scene with the landmark building in the background. Yes, hard to imagine for me the transformation from a police headquarters and prison to a luxurious celebrity apartment structure. I guess, some of the "famous" sense their destiny behind bars ahead of time. Well seen and presented, TFS.

mkamionka (61366) 2020-11-24 5:22

Hi Brenda,
very impressive building indeed! At the same time we have some construction in the foreground, something always present in cities which constantly evolve like NYC.
I wanted to guess whether the people who you mentioned live there may be approaching in the cars but I suppose they would not drive Nissan...
The weather didn't spoil you. I am very weather sensitive so when I see a sky like that I tend to stay at home, that is why my photos usually have blue sky, not because England has good weather all the time.
Very interesting presentation, I never noticed this attractive building before,
M

fotka (7527) 2020-11-24 5:37

Hello Brenda,
When I saw snapshot of this photo I thought there was some capital building. But after reading your note, it became clear that other buildings are also build in this type of style.
Great picture with street with light traffic and amazing building.
Best regards,
Zbigniew

walterantonio (2210) 2020-11-28 4:11

Hi Brenda,

Thank you for your comment and editing with improvements made to my photo of the Cathedral of the city of Maringá, suggestions are always welcome, and we don't always have a good fixed point available to be able to take a better quality night photo.

Nice picture of you from this New York City location, this is one of the cities that is in my plans to visit in the coming years.

As for the building, we can say that it is really impressive, both for its total built area and also for its incredible architecture.

Greetings from Brazil

clic (23832) 2020-12-07 8:07

Hello Brenda
Thanks for showing by diffused light for more visible details in town this sumptuous building in which the VIPs, I hope, don't feel treated as the prisoners of earlier years who were kept in there!!
Thanks for the interesting note and the fine picture.
Cheers

ikeharel (105977) 2020-12-08 22:39

Hello Brenda,
A nice cityscape found on this corner, thouigh I visited Chinatown several times, never realized how beautiful this specific dome.
Well combined street motion with architecture different styles, scaffoling and a green tree.
Wish you a nice holidays,
Ike

ChrisJ (160138) 2020-12-09 23:39

Hello Brenda,

The grandiose bg building looks like it was transplanted directly from some European capital city. There isn't a lot left of such architecture in my city, most of which was torn down and supplanted with high rise skyscrapers. Tfs!