Historic research of the building styles through Canal St, NY

Canal street is distinctive for its diverse architectural styles ranging from classical to contemporary. Fa?ades of different timelines co-exist together by borrowing from and blending with each other. The facades considered for this research are chosen based on their distinctive architectural styles rather than their historic importance.

Four of the five selected buildings are from the earlier half of the 1900s when old styles were reviving, new styles were emerging, and that era was a significant period of architectural experimentation. Blending and evolving different styles are the most prominent in facades, so the determination of the architectural style for each building could be put under debate. For this fa?ade study, the most prominent characteristics and the timeline of construction were considered as the key points to ascertain their individual styles.

Repetition and deviation of patterns in the fa?ade elements are noted under the types of fenestrations, presence or absence of ornamentation, materials, color, and texture of the fa?ades. After studying the five buildings which most significantly represent architectural styles of the Canal street, a series of existing fa?ade was documented to explain the co-dependent relationship between the elements.