Living with Legends

Some people think the new Carlos Zapata building on 23^rd St. looks like a cockroach, and I can kind of see that: those look sort of like wing casings folded down on top.  But what it really reminds me of is the Pope’s hat.  I know there must be a word for that, and I should probably look it up, but even if I used it nobody would know what I was talking about.  I should also probably voice my opposition to this wildly dis-contextual project, but I can’t help feeling that anybody who has the balls to throw up a damn Pope’s hat in the middle of a block of beautiful 19^th century buildings deserves some respect.

            And after all, it looks a hell of a lot better than Gehry’s “Luminous Toadstool” over on Eleventh Avenue.

On the other hand, the pictures may not reflect the finished product: developers have a way of turning almost any design into a pile of shit once they get their hands on in and start cutting corners.  But hey, maybe they can get it up by Easter! — Ed Hamilton