New York, NY - Urban Archive

South of Union Square

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Arch-itecture

Arches are everywhere in New York. From bridges, to memorials, and many a Beaux-Arts facade, the arch is a motif that can blends seamlessly into the city’s architectural fabric or stand out — triumphally — in a place of honor. Take a look:

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Urban Archive

1

Madison Square Arch

Madison Square Arch

The Madison Square Arch, also known as the "Victory Arch," was a temporary monument built in 1918 to commemorate New York City's war dead.

2

Washington Square Arch

Washington Square Arch

The architect Stanford White was commissioned to design this monument to the centennial of Washington's inauguration, which was completed in 1892, replacing a wood and plaster version.

3

Inscope Arch

Inscope Arch

This arch was built in the 1870s to help ease pedestrian traffic in Central Park.

4

High Bridge

High Bridge

This bridge, built between 1837 and 1848, was originally designed to carry fresh water.

5

Manhattan Bridge Plaza

Manhattan Bridge Plaza

This arch and colonnade, completed in 1915, was part of the City Beautiful movement to create monumental architecture.

6

American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History

Designed by John Russel Pope, this arch was built between 1929 to 1935 to honor Theodore Roosevelt.

7

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch

Designed by John H. Duncan with sculptures by Frederick MacMonnies, the granite arch began construction in 1889 and was dedicated on October 21,1892 to honor the Union soldiers who perished in the Civil War.

8

Hell Gate Bridge

Hell Gate Bridge

Named for the rough tidal strait of the East River it traverses, the Hell Gate Bridge opened in 1917 and was the longest steel arch bridge in the world until 1931.

9

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The distinctive trio of arches dominating the Met's Fifth Avenue facade were designed by Richard Morris Hunt, whose untimely death saw his son Richard Howland Hunt inherit and complete the project.

10

Asser Levy Public Baths

Asser Levy Public Baths

These public baths built in 1904-1906 were named for an early Jewish immigrant to New Amsterdam.

11

Chickering Hall

Chickering Hall

Two-story brownstone arches faced Fifth Avenue and 18th Street at Chickering Hall, the performance venue and showroom of the Chickering and Sons piano manufacturers.

12

5065 Broadway

5065 Broadway

This 35-foot-high marble arch was erected in the mid-19th century to mark the entrance to the Seaman family mansion and its grounds. Stone for both the mansion and arch was sourced from a quarry at the foot of Broadway.

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