The construction boom across the city has this upside: after an old building has been flattened by the wrecking ball, its faded outline remains behind for a little while, before something new and shiny covers it up.

These building phantoms give city streets an eerie vibe; they’re red brick and mason wall palimpsests of another New York. Look at the little chimneys that warmed what looks like a former Federal-style home on Bond Street?

In Downtown Brooklyn, traces of a two-story tenement on the right hint at what kind of residences lined the streets of the independent city in the 19th century.

On East 17th Street in is a reminder of what this Flatiron block looked like when it was all low-rises, not tall lofts.

This corner building in Chelsea must have cut a handsome, sturdy profile. The rooms of the second floor are still outlined too.

Back when Jane Street was just a tiny lane in the village of Greenwich, there was a little house under this steep little roof.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Reddit

Tumblr

Pinterest

Email

LinkedIn

Like this: Like Loading... Related

Tags: Brooklyn tenements, faded building outlines, Ghost buildings NYC, Ghosts of New York City, old tenements, torn-down buildings New York