My in-laws were visiting from Europe last week and spent most of their time taking advantage of the weak dollar with never-ending shopping sprees. So, while they went store to store in SoHo, I stayed outside and looked up at all the awesome buildings.
One that I always found so interesting is 451 Broome. It's a huge, massive building that stretches from Broadway to Mercer Street. So big, I couldn't even fit it in one shot. There's the central part of the facade...
And then the left part of the facade...
And the right part of of the facade...
Massive, isn't it? Well, yes and no. When viewed from Broadway, it's a tiny sliver of a building...
It really looks like a different building depending on where you look up at it. Which makes sense because it goes by both 451 Broome and 487 Broadway. Throughout its history, it has also be known as the Haggin Building, the Silk Exchange Building, and the French Telegraph and Cable Building.
The huge, wide front and narrow sides remind me of those fake building facades they use on movie sets. And the plain, dark brick rear of the building just reinforces the notion that you weren't meant to see back there...
It's so different than the ornamented front and sides...
But my favorite touch isn't architectural at all, but rather the one row of flower boxes about half way up on the Broadway side...
Take a moment to stop and look up at the roses (or whatever flower that is) the next time you walk by.
Great pics, and it is amazing the detail they've added on that building.
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