I’ve certainly photographed converging buildings and a big open sky. I’ve shot plenty of those in Austin, now that we have a half-decent skyline. However, this is slightly different. While not super tall, a mere 12 stories or so, the density and visual heft of these stone buildings create a substantial urban canyon.

The comparison is quite apt. Imagine that in nature you saw sheer stone cliffs like this on either side of you. It would be an impressive sight. Well, you basically have sheer stone cliffs here too, though man-made and punctuated by windows. Slender and tall glass towers just don’t create the same presence.

You also can’t make pictures like this in most American cities. You need to find older ones that had a significant downtown core by the late 19th century, which narrows the field quite a bit. This is a good example of how substantial these commercial buildings are compared with the brick tenements I featured a week ago from Chinatown and Little Italy.

The building on the right was especially impressive for its Beaux-Arts architectural detailing. Originally the Broadway Textile Building, it was built in 1908–09 and later converted to residential use in the late 1970s. Today, it is known as the Collect Pond House.

The odd name references Collect Pond, a freshwater pond that once existed in Lower Manhattan. The pond was eventually filled in during the early 19th century.

As you’ve probably guessed, I’m a city person at heart, and seeing architecture like this is my equivalent of seeing grand natural structures for a nature lover.

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