157 Berkeley - The Flatiron's Grandkid

I hope all of the Bean’s residents have noticed its newest addition to the skyline. In case you haven’t, let me bring you up to speed: 157 Berkeley St, the new Liberty Mutual building, is a breath of edificial fresh air.

always look up

This is going to sound crazy, but the best way to explain how I felt when I finally snapped these pictures is to remind you of The Nightmare before Christmas’s song, “What’s This.” I’m not exactly sure how I looked, but I was probably just as out of place and excited as Jack Skellington was in Christmas Town. And I obviously disguised myself as a dancing snowman, too.

In all seriousness, though, the architects have designed a building that has a stance, a kind of permanence, that hasn’t been seen in decades. In an age of all-out transparency (from the overexposure of social media to the overexposure of a glass-front condo), this building proves that there is something to be said for a solid (and solid-looking) construction. Even if the windows are a little smaller, it’s nice to see a building that bucks the trend.

And glory-be-hallelujah -- because this is a trend worth bucking. When I see this building, I see the skyscraper race. I see New York during that boom time just after the century turned and barely into the Great Depression.

157 Berkeley is the grandkid of the Flatiron (just look!), and it is awesome for it. Now back to dancing as a snowman.

 

Til next time!