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No, this is Not Hotel W

Sat, 07/16/2005 - 02:10 — deadprogrammer

Dwarfed by the Verizon Building on the left and the Conde Nast Building on the right, and soon to be hidden from view by 1 Bryant Park(an skyscraper under construction, that looks almost exactly like one of the Freedom Tower design rejects), there’s a strange 50 foot wide razor of a skyscraper. It’s called the Bush Building, after Irving T. Bush, a son of a rich refinery operator who instead of living a life of leisure chose to put on a bat’s mask and a cape… wait, actually no, he chose to become a seaport magnate. Also good. I am not sure if

Besides the narrowness, the neo-gothic tower has another peculiar feature: side walls sporting what appears to be a raised brick design

but that turns out to be an illusion created by colored bricks.

There are plans are under way to create a hideous modern add-on building on the side to alleviate the crampdness that the current owners, the Dalloul family of Lebanon. I am not sure what they do for a living, but every article I see mention that the owners are from Lebanon and run a family business. It might be that they are the owners of a cellular company LibanCell, but they don’t seem to have much of a web presence. Anyway, the new addition is a big modern glass bag on a side connected to the Bush Building by floating floors (this is what I call Hugo Simpson’s pigeonrat school of design).

Why build a tower that is only 50 feet wide when there’s space nearby? Why make colored brick designs when you can put windows there? I have no idea. But this is one of the most unique buildings in Manhattan.

Is Irving T. Bush related to the rest of the Bushes that shaped so much of American history? I don’t know, but it seems pretty likely to me. Remember, that besides the two presidents and numerous other various Eulogian Club members holding important posts, the Bush family tree includes Wampanoag tribe members and Memex-inventing Majestic 12 member Vannevar Bush as well as other unusual people. I think Irving T. Bush fits in with them rather well.

P.S. By the way, speaking of the unluckily-numbered antenna-endowed Conde Nast Building. According to Jessica Cutler’s The Washingtonienne : A Novel, girls who work for Conde Nast magazines are known as Conde Nasties. He heh.

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Tue, 07/19/2005 - 03:39 — Dan Hartung (not verified)

When the question of Vannevar and Dubya being related came up on Ask Metafilter, I threw cold water on the idea. If you have an attestation otherwise, I’d like to see it.


Tue, 07/19/2005 - 03:42 — Dan Hartung (not verified)

And as for Irving T., the Pilgrim Society says no (or at least some researcher who follows them).


Tue, 07/19/2005 - 07:53 — deadprogrammer

Hmm, you might be right. I’ve seen it mentioned in a few places that he’s a cousing of Prescott’s, but this might just be hearsay. I don’t have access to a good geneology resource at the moment.


Tue, 07/19/2005 - 07:56 — deadprogrammer

So, next thing your are gonna tell me that Vannevar Bush was not the original Harry Potter and did not autopsy aliens? Conspiracy theories are no fun when you actually have to do research.


Tue, 07/19/2005 - 09:44 — Dan Hartung (not verified)

Vannevar … Voldemort … clearly, a secret code …


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