Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas

I read a section of the Delirious New York text by Rem Koolhaas. He talks about the idea of a lookout point, in this case the Latting Observatory (350 feet high) and how it allowed the residents of Manhattan to "inspect their domain."1 This idea of being able to survey the land is something that people are continually drawn to. The Latting Observatory constructed in 1853 was the tallest tower in New York City at the time 2 and has seen been described as New York's first Skyscrapper.3

After thinking about cities I have been to I realized that I always go to a lookout point. In a way it puts the city into perspective, it allows me to get my bearings right and figure out where certain point are in relation to each other. This goes back to what I mentioned before about experiencing something in 3D opposed to 2D(2D in this case being a map).

A number of cities have man-made structures like the Latting Observatory, but lookout points are always man-made. Often they are natural lookout points. San Francisco is a prime example of a city with a number of natural lookout points. Lombard St, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Twin Peaks (second highest point in San Francisco with 360 degree views of the area) are all points in San Francisco with natural elevation which allows a view of the land.

Above: View from Twin Peaks, San Francisco- Photo taken by Natasha Hale 2007.

Above: View from Hyde St/Chestnut St, San Francisco- Photo taken by Natasha Hale 2007.

Primrose Hill in London another natural lookout point- this isn't a particularly elevated area compared with those in San Francisco but still allows people to "inspect their domain."4

Above: View from Primrose Hill, London- Photo taken by unknown.7

Cities like New York, Melbourne and Paris don't have much natural elevation which could explain why the lookout points in these cities are mainly man-made. New York City is full of tall buildings, the Rockefeller Center is a building which had taken advantage of its lookout and open it to the public as a tourist attraction. This is the same case for Melbourne's Observation Deck and Eureka Tower, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Sky Tower in Auckland.

Above: View from the Rockefeller Center, New York City, photo taken by Daniel Schwen 2005. (6)

Above: View from the Melbourne Observation Deck, photo taken by Natasha Hale 2007.

Above: View from the Eiffel Tower, Paris- Photo taken by Natasha Hale 2009.

When the Latting Observatory was built in 1853 a lot the out lying area was undeveloped and quite rural, so the observatory allowed people to put into perspective how much potential Manhattan had /how much room it had to grow.5 I can understand how a lookout point like this was at the time quite revolutionary and played a major part in the development of the city. The idea that a city could be mapped out not just 2 dimensionally but 3 dimensionally must have been quite a break through.

1. Koolhaas, Rem 1994, Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan, The Monacelli Press Inc., New York. (pg 25)

2. Lankevich, George J. 2002, New York City: A Short History, New York University Press, New York. (pg 93-94)

3. Lankevich, George J. 2002, New York City: A Short History, New York University Press, New York. (pg 93-94)

4. Koolhaas, Rem 1994, Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan, The Monacelli Press Inc., New York. (pg 25)

5. Koolhaas, Rem 1994, Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan, The Monacelli Press Inc., New York. (pg 23-25)

6. NYC Top of the Rock Pano-Daniel Schwen [Online], (2005, Dec 6-photo taken)Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NYC_Top_of_the_Rock_Pano.jpg

7. Panorama of Primrose Hill [Online], Available: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23175045