Then & Now Pictures Of 7 Buildings That America Has Lost Forever
America would surely have a different culture to share if some of its most iconic buildings hadn’t met their demise. The original Penn Station in New York, the pre-modernist railway mansion Mark Hopkins – to name a few – America has lost quite some luster in their architectural culture department.
We will never get to see what America would have been like if the 1906 earthquake didn’t shake it, or if they tried harder to save their original movie houses. Yet, the people at HomeAdvisor have decided to illustrate these “what ifs” by creating a series of interactive reconstructions to show seven legendary but lost American buildings in today’s cityscapes.
So sit back and enjoy a glimpse into an alternative America!
More info: homeadvisor.com
Pennsylvania Station
What were they thinking? New York’s original Penn Station is – quite rightly – the inspiration for the historic preservation movement. The Beaux-Arts beauty was realized in 1910 to a design from the prominent McKim, Mead & White architectural firm. Its classical grandeur looks almost preposterous now, as if all the columns of Ancient Rome had been plundered for the project. To the dismay of many, the building met its end in 1963 when city authorities tired of its Versailles-like maintenance costs.
Singer Building
Built in 1908, this Lower Manhattan titan at Liberty Street and Broadway was, at one time, the tallest building in the world. It still holds one ‘world’s tallest’ record – it’s the tallest building to ever have been purposefully demolished. The Singer Building’s awkward office floor plan was its ultimate demise as it was unable to accommodate the growth of the companies within its walls. Nonetheless, as New York Times architectural critic Christopher Gray noted, the city lost a lobby of “celestial radiance” when the building was demolished in 1968. The site is now occupied by One Liberty Plaza.
Midway Gardens
It’s hard to believe that any of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations have been demolished – but some 79 have. This entertainment complex, which opened 1929 in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, was as complex and interesting as the mind of its maker. Wright had never been commissioned for a project of this scale before and he threw his whole being into it. Unfortunately, prohibition set the site on a slippery slope and it was eventually bulldozed in 1929.
Mark Hopkins Mansion
Set atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill, railway magnate Mark Hopkins’ mansion was a display of ornate Victorian excess when it was completed in 1878. The man never got to see the finished product for himself because he passed away just before the job was done. Unfortunately, the building itself didn’t go the distance either as it was destroyed in the fire that followed the city’s 1906 earthquake and was never rebuilt. The site is now the location of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco.
Birmingham Terminal Station
From 1909 until 1969, Birmingham, Alabama’s principal railway station covered two full blocks of the city. Its Byzantine-esque profile made serious waves at the time as the architecture’s oriental influence was altogether too exotic for some tastes. With its stained-glass skylight and pew-like seating, the general waiting room had ‘place of worship’ vibes. But with the railways declining, the interesting design wasn’t enough to save the station from the wrecking ball. Today, the 7-acre site awaits repurposing.
The Beach Hotel
Wes Anderson, eat your heart out! The Beach Hotel in Galveston, Texas took over-the-top to a level that the Grand Budapest Hotel could only dream of. Built in 1882, this wood-framed vision in red and white stripes lasted barely 16 years before a fire claimed its rare beauty forever. Though firefighters were able to save parts of it, it was simply too far gone.
The Hippodrome
The boards of this epically-proportioned, Manhattan theater were visited by everyone from legendary illusionist Harry Houdini to 500-strong choruses to entire circuses. The Hippodrome’s 1905 opening performance was entitled ‘A Yankee Circus on Mars.’ The theater had capacity for 5,300 spectators and up to 1,000 performers, but its fame was short-lived. The popularity of movies played a huge role in the eventual demolition of the building in 1939. The office building that now occupies the site calls itself the Hippodrome Center – but it’s a lot less fun than the original.
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Share on FacebookIt's understandable when the older buildings were destroyed in a fire or earthquake, like that one in San Fran and the Beach hotel, but the others were so iconic! Two from New York were torn down for monetary reasons! Yuck.
I can understand that you like older buildings because of their charm, but “torn down for monetary reasons! Yuck!” Is not logical. If a building was built in an era that is not useful in today’s society, what do you really expect? Do you want to pay for a buildings upkeep through taxes just because it’s pretty? We have a building in my city that has been abandoned for years and years. It’s so beautiful, truly. It was built before A/C was common and the structure of the building can’t accommodate modern HVAC without massive cost. I haven’t even addressed that it’s not code compliant or meets ADA. So what exactly do you propose we do with such buildings?
Load More Replies...buildings were so beautiful back in the day. it's a shame that modern structures tend to go for a more robotic metal angled approach
The third montage in each panel, showing the new rolling over the old, really brought the message home. Excellent presentation!
It's so sad that so many of the older buildings that were intricately designed and cost so much were replaced with bland, square, monotonous city buildings.
Nothing lasts forever...it's great we have these nice photos of the old buildings though.
Well-built buildings last for as long as we want them to. Somehow I cannot possibly see the people of Athens ever allowing any multi-billionaire to build a luxury apartmentbuilding with the best views in all of Athens, Greece, tearing down a building that is waaaay past its heyday. The Parthenon doesn't even have a roof, for crying out loud.
Load More Replies...The older buildings were nice, but if they are hard to maintain or not serving their purpose isn't it better to tear down and rebuild than to tear up new land elsewhere that is maybe forest or farm to build on and let the old buildings decay?
Yes, it is better to reuse land and rebuild structures. The problem lies with style: older buildings are beautifully done, designed to please aesthetically. New buildings, in general, are strictly functional, with aesthetics being an afterthought.
Load More Replies...Just about every country in the world has more than their fair share of vandals in the town or city planning departments. Take a look at what London has lost!
meanwhile in France : " Dinan is a walled town in northwestern France. The medieval town on the hilltop has many fine old buildings, some of which date from the 13th century. The town retains a large section of the city walls, part of which can be walked round. Major historical attractions include the Jacobins Theatre dating from 1224, the flamboyant Gothic St Malo's Church, the Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica, Duchess Anne's Tower and the Château de Dinan. " DINAN-5ba6...8aafd3.jpg
Folks round here get a lot of guff for being untouched by history but, this was the solution to preserving the old Supreme Court/Judicial building in Montgomery, AL. It is diagonally across from Dexter Church (made famous by its young minister, Martin Luther King). If you look, you will actually see the old building INSIDE the lobby of the new buidling. RSA-Judici...22c267.jpg
To demolish any of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations ought to be made a criminal offense. What a loss for Chicago! - - - I do believe that a higher "cultural quality" in the public space leads to a better sense of general well-being, and a more civilized society. Many modern American buildings are rather too-close-for-comfort to the fascist architecture of Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy in their heavily imposing, towering, power-touting (and at the same time often beautiful) style exhibiting the absolute rule of the nation.
That is, the absolute rule of the nation in fascist Europe on the one hand, and the absolute rule of money in capitalist America on the other.
Load More Replies...I have never understood why some places that have absolutely beautiful architecture in the form of classical building styles want to put up those fuckugly glass pieces of crapitecture. Those buildings are classical for a reason, not just age, but design and many times quality of construction. Tell me all those glass buildings don't build up heat in the city, and some have even caused problems from the sun reflecting off them! London is frankly ugly now, and New York isn't far behind. Many large cities are going the same way, it's truly sad.
Style is a personal preference. If you want to discuss heat island effects and such you have a better arguement. Yes, that is a problem with poorly designed buildings. The thing you aren’t addressing is that older buildings were not built to accommodate today’s needs. They are not in the least bit energy efficient. Hampton Hall - built for a king! It’s incredibly cold and drafty in the winter.
Load More Replies...Let's not forget the Bonwit Teller building that was demolished to make way for Trump Tower in Manhattan. Here's a quote from NYTimes article from 1980: "Two stone bas-relief sculptures high on the façade of the Bonwit Teller Building under demolition on Fifth Avenue – pieces that had been sought with enthusiasm by the Metropolitan Museum of Art – were smashed by jackhammer yesterday on the orders of a real estate developer." https://www.drivingfordeco.com/stewart-and-company/
I was baffled about the instant demise of Midway Gardens but quick search clarified that it was in fact opened in 1914, not 1929.
One missing from the list was Tulsa's Camelot Hotel (Google it). It was a hotel built to look like a castle. There's a Quik-Trip convenience store there now.
The Mark Hopkins mansion's replacement must have taken some serious work. The city made the streets on both sides much steeper than they were when that house was there. Gives the city character, I guess.
I don't think any of these are real, the changes I mean. It doesn't make any sense, and even in the first picture, look at the corner of the street. You can see that in both of the pictures, that guy wearing the light blue shirt is in the same place. This seems fake. It might just be me with this opinion but, everyone thinks differently.
Nice and fascinating…….. Contact: Outsource OK Ltd. Web: www.clippingpathok.com Email: info@clippingpathok.com
Just awful! Though some I do agree with not rebuilding, like that guys mansion. That was just a waste altogether
In Cheyenne, Wyoming they tore down what I think was the oldest Carnegie Library in the country to put up the ugliest federal building I've seen.
It happened to a magnificent old mansion that was the home of my first apartment when I left my parents' home. Today on the site there stands a seven story condo building, totally uninteresting with cookie cutter floor plans (kitchen in the parlor, etc.). I only wish I had owned a camera those two years and taken pictures inside and out.
Awe this is sacrilegious the most ungodly act ever!! What a beautiful building, where
The Frank Lloyd Wright building wss built in 1929 and bulldozed in 1929? Misprint or really interesting story?
Human beings change their environments. The "old" buildings that were destroyed were probably built on older building sites that were destroyed. Sadder than this is the destruction of natural environments. Once that happens, it is pretty much irreversible.
NO!! Not the gardens and station, and the one that hit me the hardest was the mansion. Such a stunning masterpiece of architect.
Such beautiful buildings, gone! Such a shame. I preferred the older ones.
A lot of these don't make sense. One says the house was destroyed in a fire in 1906 and yet there's an HD panoramic google maps type image of it in full colour with a very modern red car outside it. Doesn't complete add up....
by the looks of it, the one with the red car, seems to be a model made of it or something, thing is I can't seem to find the original image, just a few articles like this one
Load More Replies...The modern Mark Hopkins is ok, as it is now enshrine in ine of the greatest movies evver made.
Now that's awesome. Btw I got this link to a new blog that I own that's completely s**t. Go try it out and if u don't like it, money back guaranteed https://writabhishek.wixsite.com/soulpeep/blog/i-survived-a-new-found-respect-for-life
It's understandable when the older buildings were destroyed in a fire or earthquake, like that one in San Fran and the Beach hotel, but the others were so iconic! Two from New York were torn down for monetary reasons! Yuck.
I can understand that you like older buildings because of their charm, but “torn down for monetary reasons! Yuck!” Is not logical. If a building was built in an era that is not useful in today’s society, what do you really expect? Do you want to pay for a buildings upkeep through taxes just because it’s pretty? We have a building in my city that has been abandoned for years and years. It’s so beautiful, truly. It was built before A/C was common and the structure of the building can’t accommodate modern HVAC without massive cost. I haven’t even addressed that it’s not code compliant or meets ADA. So what exactly do you propose we do with such buildings?
Load More Replies...buildings were so beautiful back in the day. it's a shame that modern structures tend to go for a more robotic metal angled approach
The third montage in each panel, showing the new rolling over the old, really brought the message home. Excellent presentation!
It's so sad that so many of the older buildings that were intricately designed and cost so much were replaced with bland, square, monotonous city buildings.
Nothing lasts forever...it's great we have these nice photos of the old buildings though.
Well-built buildings last for as long as we want them to. Somehow I cannot possibly see the people of Athens ever allowing any multi-billionaire to build a luxury apartmentbuilding with the best views in all of Athens, Greece, tearing down a building that is waaaay past its heyday. The Parthenon doesn't even have a roof, for crying out loud.
Load More Replies...The older buildings were nice, but if they are hard to maintain or not serving their purpose isn't it better to tear down and rebuild than to tear up new land elsewhere that is maybe forest or farm to build on and let the old buildings decay?
Yes, it is better to reuse land and rebuild structures. The problem lies with style: older buildings are beautifully done, designed to please aesthetically. New buildings, in general, are strictly functional, with aesthetics being an afterthought.
Load More Replies...Just about every country in the world has more than their fair share of vandals in the town or city planning departments. Take a look at what London has lost!
meanwhile in France : " Dinan is a walled town in northwestern France. The medieval town on the hilltop has many fine old buildings, some of which date from the 13th century. The town retains a large section of the city walls, part of which can be walked round. Major historical attractions include the Jacobins Theatre dating from 1224, the flamboyant Gothic St Malo's Church, the Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica, Duchess Anne's Tower and the Château de Dinan. " DINAN-5ba6...8aafd3.jpg
Folks round here get a lot of guff for being untouched by history but, this was the solution to preserving the old Supreme Court/Judicial building in Montgomery, AL. It is diagonally across from Dexter Church (made famous by its young minister, Martin Luther King). If you look, you will actually see the old building INSIDE the lobby of the new buidling. RSA-Judici...22c267.jpg
To demolish any of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations ought to be made a criminal offense. What a loss for Chicago! - - - I do believe that a higher "cultural quality" in the public space leads to a better sense of general well-being, and a more civilized society. Many modern American buildings are rather too-close-for-comfort to the fascist architecture of Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy in their heavily imposing, towering, power-touting (and at the same time often beautiful) style exhibiting the absolute rule of the nation.
That is, the absolute rule of the nation in fascist Europe on the one hand, and the absolute rule of money in capitalist America on the other.
Load More Replies...I have never understood why some places that have absolutely beautiful architecture in the form of classical building styles want to put up those fuckugly glass pieces of crapitecture. Those buildings are classical for a reason, not just age, but design and many times quality of construction. Tell me all those glass buildings don't build up heat in the city, and some have even caused problems from the sun reflecting off them! London is frankly ugly now, and New York isn't far behind. Many large cities are going the same way, it's truly sad.
Style is a personal preference. If you want to discuss heat island effects and such you have a better arguement. Yes, that is a problem with poorly designed buildings. The thing you aren’t addressing is that older buildings were not built to accommodate today’s needs. They are not in the least bit energy efficient. Hampton Hall - built for a king! It’s incredibly cold and drafty in the winter.
Load More Replies...Let's not forget the Bonwit Teller building that was demolished to make way for Trump Tower in Manhattan. Here's a quote from NYTimes article from 1980: "Two stone bas-relief sculptures high on the façade of the Bonwit Teller Building under demolition on Fifth Avenue – pieces that had been sought with enthusiasm by the Metropolitan Museum of Art – were smashed by jackhammer yesterday on the orders of a real estate developer." https://www.drivingfordeco.com/stewart-and-company/
I was baffled about the instant demise of Midway Gardens but quick search clarified that it was in fact opened in 1914, not 1929.
One missing from the list was Tulsa's Camelot Hotel (Google it). It was a hotel built to look like a castle. There's a Quik-Trip convenience store there now.
The Mark Hopkins mansion's replacement must have taken some serious work. The city made the streets on both sides much steeper than they were when that house was there. Gives the city character, I guess.
I don't think any of these are real, the changes I mean. It doesn't make any sense, and even in the first picture, look at the corner of the street. You can see that in both of the pictures, that guy wearing the light blue shirt is in the same place. This seems fake. It might just be me with this opinion but, everyone thinks differently.
Nice and fascinating…….. Contact: Outsource OK Ltd. Web: www.clippingpathok.com Email: info@clippingpathok.com
Just awful! Though some I do agree with not rebuilding, like that guys mansion. That was just a waste altogether
In Cheyenne, Wyoming they tore down what I think was the oldest Carnegie Library in the country to put up the ugliest federal building I've seen.
It happened to a magnificent old mansion that was the home of my first apartment when I left my parents' home. Today on the site there stands a seven story condo building, totally uninteresting with cookie cutter floor plans (kitchen in the parlor, etc.). I only wish I had owned a camera those two years and taken pictures inside and out.
Awe this is sacrilegious the most ungodly act ever!! What a beautiful building, where
The Frank Lloyd Wright building wss built in 1929 and bulldozed in 1929? Misprint or really interesting story?
Human beings change their environments. The "old" buildings that were destroyed were probably built on older building sites that were destroyed. Sadder than this is the destruction of natural environments. Once that happens, it is pretty much irreversible.
NO!! Not the gardens and station, and the one that hit me the hardest was the mansion. Such a stunning masterpiece of architect.
Such beautiful buildings, gone! Such a shame. I preferred the older ones.
A lot of these don't make sense. One says the house was destroyed in a fire in 1906 and yet there's an HD panoramic google maps type image of it in full colour with a very modern red car outside it. Doesn't complete add up....
by the looks of it, the one with the red car, seems to be a model made of it or something, thing is I can't seem to find the original image, just a few articles like this one
Load More Replies...The modern Mark Hopkins is ok, as it is now enshrine in ine of the greatest movies evver made.
Now that's awesome. Btw I got this link to a new blog that I own that's completely s**t. Go try it out and if u don't like it, money back guaranteed https://writabhishek.wixsite.com/soulpeep/blog/i-survived-a-new-found-respect-for-life
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