James A. Farley Post Office

The James A. Farley Post Office is the Main Post Office in Manhattan with a zip code of 10001. It was named after a former Postmaster General who was also a strongman in the Democratic Party. Built in 1912, the Beaux Arts style James A. Farley Post Office was for years the largest post office in the United States—393,000 square feet and two city blocks. It has an elegant row of corinthian columns fronting its façade, with the famous words "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" inscribed above them, over a length of 280 feet. It is not originally inspired, but based on an ancient Persian postal inscription dating back to 520 B.C. In spite of the majesty of its Classical columns, the building is on the U.S. Postal Service's downsize list. New York State has bought the building with plans to preserve and redevelop it for transportation use. Architect David Childs heads the redesign team. The building is located at 421 Eighth Avenue across from Madison Square Garden/Penn Station complex.

The Ansonia

The Ansonia is a grand condominium with a commanding presence on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is located at 2109 Broadway, between 73rd and 74th Streets. It was originally built as a luxury Beaux Arts hotel by William Earle Dodge Stokes 1n 1904. Inspired by French hotels, it was named after Stokes' grandfather, the industrialist, Anson Greene Phelps. The building was converted into a condominium in 1992 with 430 units. The image was made from the 72nd Street subway station on Broadway.

From New York Architecture:

Despite the proliferation of ornamentation, the effect of the whole is one of lightness, grace and elegance. The tiers of windows, recessed courts and rounded towers establish a sense of the vertical, while a series of balconies emphasize the horizontal. The extensive ornamentation and lacy ironwork combined with the smooth panels of the brick work creates a dramatically elegant surface. The Ansonia was constructed with heavy, all masonry fireproof materials with heavy interior partitions to separate the individual apartments, thus making them virtually soundproof as well.

The Ansonia

The Ansonia is a grand building on the Upper West Side located at 2109 Broadway, between 73rd and 74th Streets. It was originally built as a Beaux Arts hotel by William Earle Dodge Stokes. Inspired by French hotels, it was named after Stokes' grandfather, the industrialist, Anson Greene Phelps. The building was converted into a condominium in 1992 with 430 apartments. The Ansonia has made an appearance in previous movies like "Single White Female" and "Hannah and Her Sisters." In the 1970s, it was the home of the Continental Baths bathhouse, where Bette Midler got her start with Barry Manilow as her accompanist. The Continental Baths then became legendary swingers' club Plato's Retreat.