10 COOL HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN NEW YORK CITY Here are 10 interesting historic buildings that you can visit in New York City:

CARNEGIE HALL

Built in 1890, Carnegie Hall is famous for music performances. A large number of famous works had their world premiers at Carnegie Hall, including pieces by Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Bartók, Stravinsky, Ives, Shoenberg, Dvořák, and others.

CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE

This famous synagogue was build in the early 1870, based on the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest. This fascinating building is open for free public tours.

WOOLWORTH BUILDING

The Woolworth Building was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930. Built at a cost of $13,500,000, paid in cash. The photo above is from 1928 and shows the top of the Woolworth Building poking through clouds.

CHRYSLER BUILDING

The Chrysler Building was the first man-made structure over 1000 feet (305 meters) tall, and was the tallest building in the world for a short time in 1930 to 1931.

40 WALL STREET (TRUMP BUILDING)

Also the tallest building in the world at one point, but just for a brief period of about one month in 1930. It is now owned by Donald Trump and is called the Trump Building. Trump paid just $8 million for it in 1995; compare that to the $13,500,000 spent in 1913 to build the Woolworth Building!

METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY TOWER

This was the tallest building in the world from 1909 to 1913, though the base of the building dates to 1893. There are four clocks on the Met Life Tower, each 26.5 feet (8 meters) in diameter. The photo above was taken during the building’s construction and dates from somewhere around 1908.

GE BUILDING

The GE Building is a 70-story Art Deco skyscraper built in the 1930s. It now houses NBC Studios, and shows like Saturday Night Live are filmed here. There is also an observatory that offers a spectacular panoramic view of New York City!

FLATIRON BUILDING

The Flatiron Building is a famous landmark of New York City. It was completed in 1902 and was one of the first buildings in the world to use a steel skeleton.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for over 40 years, and is still the 10th largest building in the world in 2008! Click on the thumbnail image below for a panoramic view of New York City from the Empire State Building:

33 LIBERTY STREET

33 Liberty Street contains the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and 25% of the world’s gold bullion. The gold is so heavy that it sits on bedrock 85 feet below sea level! The bank offers free tours.