Minecraft Project: Postwar Lower Manhattan

[IhateUSsteel]

Christ, this will take a while.

Another update at last. We’re up to about 807 buildings now.

Things for me to talk about as punishment for holding off for 3 months:

• Added the Hudson Terminal Train station and underground areas
• Added 6 city blocks worth of buildings east of Park Row
• Added the thin art deco building at 45 Maiden Lane (no photos yet)
• Finished tenements surrounding 60 John Street (no photos yet)
• Added the Standard Oil Building
• Demolished and rebuilt the National Bank of Commerce Building
• Demolished and rebuilt the Syndicate Building
• Shaders

So first up is the Hudson Terminal. I added the interior best I could, and added the lower levels where the tracks are. 2(?) staircases down were omitted because of the angle. They would lead directly on to the tracks.

Here you’ll see shaders makes the lowest level look most realistic, but I’ll get to that more in a bit.

Around the lobby and main entrance hallways are where stores and other spaces were.

This one is from the north building, looking at 22 Cortlandt Street and the Singer and City Investing Buildings.

Also from the north building showing 55 Church Street. I’ve never really mentioned this building before, but it was demolished in 1984 for the Millenium Hilton.

Next is the Brooklyn Bridge area. The blocks finished are:

• The Tribune Building block, now Pace University
• The Black Building block, now Drumgoole Plaza
• The Tract Society Building block, now shared with 8 Spruce St
• The Vanderbilt Ave block, still mostly intact (this block has 161 William Street, the only modern highrise I have to have on my map)
• The Temple Court Building Block
• The Park Row Building block (finished)

The Edgar House was the 800th building. Not much but a puny neoclassical box, but pretty cute.

And a nice view of Newspaper Row and the new additions in the back:

Next is the Standard Oil Building. I finally added it. I only have one picture of it currently saved here, but it gives an idea of how massive it is. A very great addition that I’ll post more pictures of in the future.

Next is back at the site of 140 Broadway. I’ve had all 6 of these buildings done for over a year, but the back two bugged me. So I took the logical solution and completely erased them from existence and built them anew. They came out much better.

The old Syndicate Building (or Provident Life Building, or German American Building, whatever, I will from here out call it Syndicate):

The new Syndicate Building:

The old National Bank of Commerce Building:

The godlike new National Bank of Commerce Building (new Syndicate Building just to the right):

I also got this picture of the Mutual Life Building while we were demolishing and rebuilding. Chase Manhattan stands here now.

Currently I’m working near Maiden Lane and John Street, now, finishing that area up.

Now for the interesting bit: I finally got shaders.

I never cared to know they were possible on Xbox, but my buddy SeventeenSpider showed me the way to get them, So props to him.

To begin, a nice picture of Singer through the flame of Liberty Tower’s smokestack:

These 3 are from the 1966 copy I have from last summer, if anyone remembers that. I revisited it to see how boxes look in these shaders, and they look pretty damn good.

Now for some from the current map:

I’ll be back soon. I’m working either east of Nassau or south of Pine, so you should expect another update within less than 3 months. Until then…

Are you happy Blargh?

[the726]

Great update! I love all the small details. It’s crazy how you were able to translate all these miniscule details onto Minecraft. Great job The Hudson Terminal photos look like postcards!

[IhateUSsteel]

Thanks lol. The terminal took an eternity.

Speaking of postcards:

I found this recently. I’m confused as to where exactly it is. It says the Singer Building, but the address 152 Broadway would be across the street where 150 Broadway stands. If it is in the Singer Building, it might be in the Liberty Street side or maybe the Bourne wing(further down Liberty).
Anyone have any ideas where this store could be?

[mermantasty2232]

i am happy it’s about time you post again and you definitely need to get a few good shots of The Produce Exchange in you’re next post. i would also recommend a side by side comparison on the ups and downs shaders has brought to the map. obviously it’s easier said than done in a sense but i believe it will make a great difference

[IhateUSsteel]

only down is the brightness in the day and the purple lights

[IhateUSsteel]

New discovery. Apparently the 2 old buildings on the site of the 1968 BP Garage were demolished in 1953.
Pictured here in March 1954

It also turns out the Gas Station next to the Tunnel portal most likely wasn’t in existance until the end of 1954 or early 1955.

I’ve been thinking a bit. Maybe I should try another year change (a phrase I abuse a lot I know) to either 1952 or 1953.

Differences:
From 1954 to 1953:

• The orange colored building and the small run down building at the corner of West and Morris (old rust colored building at far right)
  

  

• Extra tenements beside the Brooklyn Bridge, between the Municipal and Rhinelander Buildings

• Blue and gold roof (mix) for 90 West Street

• Gold roof for the 21 story building at Liberty and Temple Streets

• Extra tenements on the demolition site at Washington and Carlisle

From 1953 to 1952:

• Change to 47 West Street’s roof
• Change In the City Investing Building’s roof color (Renovation, gray with some dirty yellow)
  
  
• The original Singer Building rooftop railings (with the 4 large gargoyles on the corners)
  
  

Any suggestions?

[robermat]

Found this video that I though you might find interesting: Evolution of the Lower Manhattan Skyline - YouTube

[JPSchriefer]

I’m subscribed to this thread but I’m not receiving notifications

You did some awesome updates!
I believe that postcard is just showing landmarks of the city, some of them just near to the store, like the one you posted here. I searched about it on Google and other postcards from this same store appeared showing other landmarks with different addresses as well.

[IhateUSsteel]

Thanks and thanks again. It made me curious: It made me curious as to how it linked with the building.

Is there anywhere you post your models? I’d like to see how the Fidelity Casualty Buildings end up coming out (if you’re still going for those)

[IhateUSsteel]

Here’s a little blast from the past: these are from the first week of the map that I still have saved.

I realized that though Singer was the first building I added, 135 Broadway was finished before the last windows were added to Singer. Technically 135 Broadway was the map’s first completed building.

It’s odd comparing August 2017 Singer to modern 2019 Singer:

Looking at this makes me want to change the year to 1962 again. The original plan, so long ago.

Especially this picture, I had imagined this small swarm of buildings anchored by the Singer and Chase Towers. Shame.

[JPSchriefer]

I mean, this one for example is a postcard for a store at 793 Broadway but it shows Grace Church which is across the street. This other one was located at 133 42nd St. but it shows Times Square which is quite near. There’s also this one located at 61W 42nd St. but showing St. Patrick’s Cathedral but this one is not so close to the store. There are a lot of these when searching for Huyler’s. So I think there isn’t a logic behind them, they just decided to add landmarks to the cards and that’s it

I just uploaded 2 renders I did some time ago so you can see how Fidelity and Casualty buildings are looking. There’s still a lot of work to do in all of these buildings as you can see, although I started to test some textures:

1
2

Probably the website where I show my models the most is on Simtropolis, but they’re usually already converted to isometric angles to add in SimCity 4. Every image I make is actually hosted on Flickr.

[IhateUSsteel]

Damn they’re coming out good, keep it up: if you need any photos of them or the Estates on the corner (facade, color, etc.) I can try to help out

[JPSchriefer]

Thanks!

Oh the colors… if you have any good references for those I’d be the happiest person on Earth because I have no idea how they used to be

[IhateUSsteel]

Gotcha.

Fidelity Buildings on the right: (limestone facade, copper roof, etc)
The small one had an orange-rust colored base, the annex had a white one from what I’ve seen

Upper parts of the annex

Here are the Vanderpoel Estates, next to the Casualty Buildings. The one on the corner is a darker white, but both are white colored.

135 and 141 Broadway are shown here, in a fairly popular set of photos: dirty limestone details with bronze(copper?) roofs:
(The base of the Washington Life Building was reaped upon in the 30s)

And for the back base of 135 Broadway:

Hope these help.

[JPSchriefer]

These will definitely help me. Thank you very much again

[IhateUSsteel]

Edit to post: I’m not going to do the year change that I brought up, too much work as well as the fact that I love the highway and the tunnel way too much to sacrifice them. Rather than make another update I thought I’d just cover over the post. The year will remain 1953.

[IhateUSsteel]

Damn I haven’t made an update in a long time. I might make one later this month or during the summer.

I’ve gotten to 855 buildings since I last posted. I’ve added many city blocks in the void east of Singer, as well as the big Royal Insurance Building, 44 Wall, holdouts by the tunnel, 110 John Street, the Hilliard Building, Amsinck Building, American Sugar Building, Broad Telephone Building, and way too much else that I can’t remember.

Buildings that were since rebuilt include 140 Broadway, 60 Liberty(its annex), the American Exchange Bank Building, and the Clearing House Building. All of these are on the same block, meaning all the buildings that once made up the site of the Marine Midland Building are all remakes of the originals.
Other remakes include the 1884 Mutual Life Building, the Tribune Building, and the St. Paul Building.

Right now I’ve got the Cunard Building started, but I don’t feel like finishing it. I’m working on the original 30 Wall Street, which was razed/annexed/renovated in 1953-55.

I’ll post more when I get pictures and get more done.

[JPSchriefer]

I don’t know how you did the back of 135 Broadway, since at street level I believe there are no records but one or two showing the first windows there. In case you haven’t found any references I just noticed in this picture that there are at least 8 windows in the back of the building (I think grouped in two), and 6 of them are in a dark brick wall I suppose.

[IhateUSsteel]

Wow. I never would have noticed that actually, I just have it as a beige wall right now. Thanks for that.

Time for a mini update:
On the subject of this area, I did a little experimental project.

I added 140 Broadway and Chase Manhattan back to the map to see how they blend, considering I’d never done that before.

The sight of 140 Broadway, Chase Manhattan and Singer together made 1967 my favorite skyline, so I thought I’d bring those short months of decency to light. 140 opened in April and Singer began demolition in September.

I’d also like to notice how it blends with its neighboring buildings very well in an unexplained way. The plaza almost becomes a spacious ground fortified by decades old buildings compared to the gigantic open space that is there now because of Liberty Plaza park, 1 Liberty, and the entire WTC.

Also the interior views. Only lasted 1-2 years like this but I could only imagine what people who worked here then got to experience.

This isn’t going to be a permanent change, however. I’m keeping the year at 1953. To be honest, I think 1967 would be my favorite year to replicate, but at a cost.

• New York Steam Co Building, 130 John St, demolished 1966
• New York Tribune Building, 154 Nassau St, demolished 1966-67
• Battery Park Building, State St, demolished 1966
• Chesebrough Building, State St, demolished 1966
• 15 Moore Street, demolished 1966
• Central Railroad Building, Liberty Street, demolished early 1967

Anyway, I’ll post more about the real year soon.

Also thanks again JP for the information.

[IhateUSsteel]

Nothing new yet, but here is a gif I made of the change that happened between 1955 and 1962, at least in the areas I’ve expanded to.

I’m tempted to make a change.