A distinguishing characteristic of Manhattan is the large number of tall office buildings that help form the borough's celebrated skyline. Most are in Lower and Midtown Manhattan. Among the more famous of these are the 110-story twin towers of the World Trade Center (first occupied in 1970; at 417 m/1368 ft one of the world's tallest buildings), located near the southern tip of Manhattan Island, and the Empire State Building (1931; 381 m/1250 ft high), the Chrysler Building (1930), and Citicorp Center (1977), in Midtown. Other architectural landmarks include Rockefeller Center (begun 1931), a group of more than 20 lofty buildings; Madison Square Garden Center (1968), containing a noted sports arena; United Nations headquarters (1947-53); and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a complex of several theaters. Also of interest are City Hall (1802-11), a Federal-style building with French Renaissance detail; the tall Woolworth Building (1913), with Gothic-style detail; the Seagram Building (1958), an office tower clad in bronze and bronze-colored glass; and Grant's Tomb (1897), the sepulchre of President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife. In the 1980s, a number of innovative skyscrapers, such as the IBM and AT&T buildings, and the World Financial Center were constructed, and work on a large convention center in Midtown near the Hudson River was in progress. Manhattan also is known for its many large residential buildings. Among its many notable religious structures are Saint Patrick's Cathedral (1879; towers, 1888), the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New York; Trinity Church (1697, rebuilt 1846); the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (begun 1892; towers under construction 1980s and 1990s), the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world; and Riverside Church (1930), another large Gothic-style structure.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Manhattan borough Information info
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