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In this video, you will learn about the history and mystery of 33 Thomas Street, a skyscraper that has no windows and is rumored to be a secret spy hub. You will also find out what is inside this tower, who owns it, and what are the controversies and conspiracies surrounding it. Are you ready to uncover one of the most intriguing and secretive buildings in the world? Let's begin!
#brightside #brightsideglobal
TIMESTAMPS:
0:01 Flatiron Skyscraper
09:03 Fake buildings of New York
17:21 Eiffel Tower's future
This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
#brightside #brightsideglobal
TIMESTAMPS:
0:01 Flatiron Skyscraper
09:03 Fake buildings of New York
17:21 Eiffel Tower's future
This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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FunTranscript
00:01Welcome to one of the most iconic buildings in New York City.
00:04Its official name is the Fuller Building.
00:07But thanks to this sharp 25-degree top corner, people began to associate the tower with a flat iron.
00:13And today, the name flat iron is stuck both to the skyscraper and the entire district around it.
00:20This unusual cake-slice shape has turned the building into a famous tourist destination.
00:25It has popped out in many movies, TV programs, and magazines.
00:28So you probably recognize this property, even if you've never been to Manhattan.
00:34Surprisingly, today the 285-foot-tall flat iron is almost empty.
00:39And these fancy walls hide a pretty mysterious dispute between their owners.
00:44But first things first.
00:46In 1901, construction enterprise Fuller Company purchased a sharp triangular plot of land on the crossroad between Broadway and Fifth
00:55Avenue.
00:55They hired an architect from Chicago, Daniel Burnham, to design the company's new headquarters.
01:02The task was to maximize every inch of available space.
01:05So Burnham produced a project of a 22-story triangular tower made of steel.
01:11The flat iron building resembled the shape of a Greek column, which means that its top and bottom are slightly
01:17wider than the middle.
01:19Fuller Company approved the design and demolished several old buildings to clear the space for the future tower.
01:25Construction progressed rapidly, and it was completed within a year.
01:29Yes, they used to be able to do that.
01:32The flat iron became one of the earliest buildings to have steel for its structural frame instead of load-bearing
01:38masonry.
01:39Also, it became one of New York's first skyscrapers and the first steel skeleton structure visible to the public.
01:45The curtain wall cladding was also then innovative.
01:48The builders used terracotta and limestone to wrap a chic finished look around the steel structure that carried the building's
01:55weight.
01:56At that time, many people believed that this unusual architecture would fail to withstand high winds.
02:03The project's engineers analyzed the tower's aerodynamics and created a steel frame to fight likely problems with the wind.
02:10But people still reported experiencing heavy gusts on the street around the building.
02:16The flat iron building had a bunch of other issues.
02:19As you may imagine, furnishing this tight space was quite a challenge.
02:23Also, the tower didn't originally have any bathrooms for females.
02:27That's why lady tenants were at a disadvantage at first.
02:31But then the management added ladies' rooms and placed them on odd-number floors.
02:36Meanwhile, bathrooms for males were placed on even-numbered floors.
02:40Also, the first elevators in the building operated on a water-hydraulic system.
02:45So, it took over 10 minutes to get to the top.
02:49Now you can see why that system didn't catch on.
02:52It's now surprising that the media expressed skepticism over the new building.
02:56Some even called it Burnham's Falling.
02:59But, despite the naysayers over the years, the tower has been home to many companies and retail tenants.
03:05Also, the flat iron attracted crowds of people.
03:08Gradually, it became a frequent sight in paintings and postcards and turned into one of the most popular symbols of
03:15New York City itself.
03:16In 1929, during the Great Depression, the tower was sold at an auction for only $100,000.
03:24And in 1966, it got the status of an official city landmark.
03:29It means that any renovation or demolition works are impossible without the official permission of the authorities.
03:36Furthermore, in 1989, the flat iron received the fancy status of a National Historic Landmark.
03:43The last tenants left the building in 2019.
03:47And it has sat empty ever since due to renovation works, which have triggered many disputes among the building's current
03:54owners and future tenants.
03:56Most of the owners wanted to turn the building into a hotel.
03:59Meanwhile, Nathan Silverstein, who owned a 25% stake in the property, wanted to divide it up.
04:06Finally, in 2023, the local court organized an auction on the building.
04:11The owners, who held 75%, intended to buy out Silverstein's stake to put an end to all disputes over the
04:18future of this building.
04:20The bid started from $50 million, and the price soared to $190 million, thanks to an unexpected bidder, Jacob Garlick.
04:30Surprisingly, he beat out everyone and won the auction.
04:34Some considered the price that he offered too high, because the building required at least $100 million worth of renovation.
04:41Hey, it gets better.
04:43Garlick disappeared after the auction.
04:45He has never paid anything, not even the deposit.
04:48And he hasn't yet explained himself to the media.
04:51So for now, Garlick's location and intention remains unknown.
04:56Little did we know that it's possible to show up at a luxurious auction in New York, outbid everyone, and
05:02then just vanish into space.
05:04Well, according to some experts from the real estate world, it's a very weird situation for a building auction.
05:10Usually, the bidders are asked to prove their funds in advance.
05:15Some people suspect that Silverstein asked Garlick to attend the auction on purpose, so that he could boost the price
05:21and earn more money.
05:23But Silverstein claimed that his relationship with Garlick had been distant.
05:27On May 20th, the second auction took place.
05:31Garlick was absent, but a coalition of syndicates and previous owners won the bid and acquired the Flatiron for $101
05:38million.
05:39They haven't yet announced any plans, so today, the future of the Flatiron remains uncertain.
05:46The age of the Flatiron building is only around 121 years.
05:50But this famous and beloved symbol of New York has survived so many chapters,
05:55from challenging traditional architecture to surviving multiple crises, including the Great Depression.
06:01So, chances are that this iconic tower will surprise us in the future.
06:07Oh, by the way, the Flatiron is not the only skyscraper with issues in New York City.
06:12Here's the famous half-built Leaning Tower of Manhattan.
06:16A 670-foot skyscraper is located at the corner of South Street and Maiden Lane on the East River.
06:22The tower was to host 80 super-fancy condos to sell for up to $7 million each.
06:28The developer also planned to offer yacht services to the tenants.
06:32A pre-sale of this luxurious but unfinished project was launched in 2018.
06:38But in 2020, the tower began to lean three inches to the north.
06:43The developer put construction on hold and initiated a huge investigation to figure out why this tower refused to stay
06:50straight.
06:51Although the reason remains unclear, the consensus appears to be that a weak foundation is to blame.
06:57You think?
06:59And now, welcome to the Waldorf Astoria, a former host to authorities, royal families, and Hollywood stars.
07:07And maybe not so welcome.
07:09This Art Deco masterpiece is the very place where Marilyn Monroe once stayed
07:14and where Grace Kelly got engaged to Monaco's Prince Rainier III.
07:18But in 2017, the famous hotel was closed for a multi-billion-dollar renovation.
07:25The property's new Chinese owners, Anbang Insurance, planned to partially turn the hotel rooms into condo apartments by 2019.
07:34The condo price was planned to reach up to $18 million per unit.
07:39But eventually, something went wrong, and the date of the project completion was postponed until 2025 at best.
07:47Although, according to the media, the renovation might have already cost around $2 billion.
07:53Some insiders mentioned poor coordination within the project caused by the dismissal of its American director.
08:00They also blamed the property's new owner, Dajia Insurance Group,
08:05which took over the project after the chairman of Anbang was sent to prison for fraud in 2018.
08:11To date, the future of the Waldorf Astoria remains unclear.
08:15So, I'd try another hotel if you're visiting the Big Apple.
08:21And here's another heartbreak hotel story.
08:24In 2019, a development firm, Chetrit Group, launched the construction of a 33-story hotel near Madison Square Garden and
08:32Penn Station.
08:33The project was supposed to open in 2021 and join the management portfolio of IHG Hotels and Resorts, which runs
08:41multiple hotels.
08:43However, the developer failed to either repay its loan or complete the construction on time.
08:49Meanwhile, the hotel remains unfinished, and the estimated investment for its completion totals around $106 million.
08:57Hey, you want to finish the job?
09:02Wow, looky here.
09:04It's New York City.
09:06The Big Apple.
09:07The city that never sleeps.
09:08Hong Kong on the Hudson.
09:10The greatest city in the world.
09:11New York, New York.
09:13The city so nice, they named it twice.
09:15All right, I'll stop.
09:16You thought you knew this city so well, but underneath all that glitz and glamour is a facade, literally.
09:24New York is populated with some of the most iconic urban buildings in the world and home to some of
09:29the most unique and famous towers.
09:31Who would have known that New York was a front for fake buildings?
09:35And the cool thing is that there are plenty to search for.
09:38Okay, I'm adding that to my bucket list.
09:41So, the question is, why do they put these fake buildings all over New York?
09:46The city is one of the most vibrant places in the world and requires many infrastructures to keep the city
09:51in motion.
09:52That means having many industrial structures and buildings in every major district.
09:57New York is charming for the design and the buildings.
10:00Imagine having industrial structures right next to your favorite pizza parlor or hot dog stand.
10:06The designers thought ahead and decided to disguise those industrial infrastructures as fake buildings.
10:13They blend with the city so well that they don't stand out.
10:16They look like your good old apartment or housing unit with a front door, real-life windows, and even charming
10:23balconies where people would hang out.
10:25The only thing is that there's nothing behind the facade and no one is allowed inside.
10:30So, where in the world can you find these fake buildings?
10:34For starters, one of the most popular fake buildings is in Brooklyn.
10:38At 58 Juralamon Street, you can find a very typical neighborhood.
10:43But between the buildings stands a brick building with a slightly deeper shade than the rest.
10:48It has bright open windows that blend in with the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood, except that they're
10:53blacked out.
10:54At first glance, you might not think of it as anything.
10:57But if you pay close attention, the building looks like a glitch from a video game.
11:02It was built in 1847, way before New York was considered glamorous.
11:08Originally, it was meant to be a regular building, but in 1908, they converted it into a fake building.
11:15Don't think you can just try to break in.
11:17Even if you could, it's pointless, because it's part of a ventilation fan for the subway.
11:23It also serves as an emergency exit for some of the surrounding buildings.
11:27Actually, throughout New York, many fake buildings exist to disguise the subway vents for the smoke to escape.
11:34All the way to 415 Bruckner Boulevard, the Bronx, this townhouse was designed by the Switzer Group, which is an
11:42interior architect company.
11:43It's not as charming as the one at 58 Juralamon Street, but it serves a similar purpose.
11:49To hide an electric substation for New York's utility company.
11:54The city needs these substations to reduce the high-voltage electricity to a lower voltage so it can be distributed
12:00locally.
12:01Having a building like this popping out of the middle of your neighborhood isn't exactly the smartest way to attract
12:07people to the Bronx.
12:08That's why the fake townhouse facade is the perfect camouflage.
12:12Now, some of these fake buildings don't really hit the mark and stick out like a sore thumb.
12:18The people of Manhattan describe the Mulry Square infrastructure as a complete clunker.
12:23After plenty of redesigns and back-to-the-drawing board meetings, the result is still not pretty.
12:29The locals compare it to a concrete box.
12:32They created windows without glass, which doesn't allow the building to blend in with the rest of the neighborhood.
12:38But it beats a typical subway ventilation plant either way.
12:43There are just so many places to visit and cross off your bucket list.
12:47But if you live in China, you can literally stay in the country and visit many iconic cities around the
12:53world.
12:53The replica cities began when the Chinese economy started booming in the early 90s.
12:59They wanted the lifestyle of the rich and famous without wanting to leave their country.
13:04They can be comfortable eating their local food and get the feeling of being abroad.
13:09The Chinese province of Guangdong has an identical copy of the historical Australian alpine village Hallstatt.
13:17The real Hallstatt is centuries old and one of the most charming places to discover.
13:22The local people of Hallstatt also had no idea that their home was being built in China.
13:28Some people thought that this was controversial, probably because it cost around $940 million to build it.
13:36Paris is undoubtedly one of the most charming cities you could ever visit.
13:40Its rich history and vibrant culture are enough to catch the first plane to go there.
13:45For residents of Tian du Cheng, that's something they can do anytime they want.
13:50The city is also known as Sky City and has a replica of the Eiffel Tower that looks eerily like
13:56the iconic one in Paris
13:58and built buildings to match the city's visual charm.
14:01One of the main things that will break the charm is the farmland surrounding the city.
14:06There's barely anyone there and the streets are always empty, very un-Paris-like.
14:11Still, you can find some nice fountains and statues scattered along the streets to give it some spirit.
14:17There's laundry hung everywhere, even on the trees.
14:20The picturesque fountains are dry and many apartments are empty.
14:24Only a few stores are open for business.
14:27Even though this looks like a fake city, it's quite real.
14:31Some people live here because it's more affordable than other places.
14:35Two hours away from this town is another version of Paris' Pont Alexandre III
14:39and a carbon copy of London's Tower Bridge, but with four towers instead of two.
14:45Hey, such a bargain!
14:47You can also visit the closest thing to Italy, but this time, you can go shopping.
14:52Florencia Village is an outlet mall that offers an array of shops to lose yourself.
14:57The good thing is that this was built by an Italian developer
15:01to capture the essence of an Italian village.
15:03It has fountains, canals, and mosaics for proper aesthetics.
15:08It began in 2011 and has more than 200 shops with many Italian brands
15:13and British, U.S., and Chinese brands as well.
15:16The place is so popular that it gets between 10,000 and 25,000 visitors per day.
15:23China also has other replica towns that put you in a mini Manhattan
15:27called the Yuzhiapu Financial District.
15:29The developer's goal was to make this place the financial center of the world.
15:34It was complete with the right landmarks, like the Rockefeller and Lincoln Centers,
15:39but the project was halted in 2019, leaving it mainly empty.
15:43You can find a typical English town with cobbled streets,
15:46Victorian homes, and restaurants that make Thames Town.
15:50This place was meant to recreate a European lifestyle fantasy without leaving Shanghai.
15:55China also has a Dutch town that has some elements of Amsterdam with windmills and famous canals.
16:02They even decided to copy some of the landmarks, like the Netherlands Maritime Museum.
16:08Here's a bonus story of Lebanon's thinnest building built out of a dispute.
16:12It's the story of two brothers who both inherited unequal plots of land.
16:17One of the brothers happened to get a very thin plot of land
16:20and couldn't help but be jealous of his brother's nice plot of land.
16:24He wasn't pleased.
16:26Both of the lands overlooked the Mediterranean Sea in a lively neighborhood of Beirut.
16:31So it's no wonder that both brothers couldn't agree on how they should develop their lands.
16:36It was obvious that the brother with the most land could build a proper building.
16:41The other brother had to improvise.
16:43He decided to obstruct his brother's property by constructing a thin building
16:48enough to only fit 14 feet at its widest and 2 feet at its most narrow.
16:53It was constructed in 1954, and the locals of the area know it as the grudge.
17:00The crazy thing is that the place was once habitable with many visitors enjoying their stay.
17:05It's not easy to live there, but it's part of living the experience.
17:09The building is still standing, but is empty.
17:22It's one of the most important national monuments of the United States,
17:26with over a half a million visitors each year.
17:29The Washington Monument was constructed to commemorate George Washington,
17:33the first American president.
17:35But if you've ever looked at it closely, in person, or by googling his pictures,
17:40you've surely noticed it has two different colors.
17:43Well, it's not a design choice, if that's what you're wondering.
17:46The Washington National Monument Society, the authority in charge of the construction,
17:51ran out of funding, and the project was put on hold in the 1850s.
17:56It took another 25 years for the authorities to resume the construction.
18:00They finished the upper two-thirds of the monument in 1884.
18:04Since they evidently used marble from a different location,
18:07given the time that had passed, it was difficult to envision how these materials would behave in the future.
18:13These two sections looked very much alike at first,
18:16but with time, mostly due to winds, rain, and erosion, they ended up having different hues.
18:22There's even a third portion of marble, which is noticeable only if you pay very close attention.
18:28The constructors initially went for a marble provider in Massachusetts,
18:32but quickly realized the colors didn't match.
18:35They had to switch to another supplier, but their mistake resulted in this third shade of marble.
18:40It's only noticeable up front, so people mostly think that the monument has two colors.
18:46The builders figured out the difference quite fast and found a type of marble that resembled the initial one.
18:51But the new material eventually turned to a different color, too, mostly to weather conditions.
19:07Are you one of those people who like to spend their free time on Pinterest or Instagram in search of
19:13your next travel location?
19:14Then you surely haven't missed a little Italian town called Cinque Terre.
19:19The reason why it's so popular among photographers and globetrotters is its brightly painted buildings,
19:25which come in a nice contrast to the crystal-clear ocean waters.
19:29These houses come in a huge selection of colors, from green to yellow and even bright pink.
19:35So it's no wonder this location is such a hit.
19:37It looks more like a painting than an actual place on Earth.
19:41But why are these houses so gorgeously bright?
19:44Local legends say that fishers used to paint their homes in various colors
19:48so that they could quickly spot them from the water as they came back home from the sea.
19:53Now, some other buildings come with coloring so specific that their inhabitants are prohibited from changing it by law.
20:01It's the case of the Pink City, otherwise known as Jaipur in India.
20:05It has numerous buildings of different hues of pink, from dusty rose to fuchsias.
20:11This impressive coloring dates back to the 1800s.
20:14Rumor has it that the Indian Maharaja of the time, Sawai Ram Singh, wanted to welcome Prince Albert during his
20:21visit.
20:21So he literally painted the whole town pink.
20:24Which, of course, begs the question, why he chose pink and not any other color?
20:29And it turns out this hue was meant to subtly imply the idea of a welcoming location or a place
20:36of hospitality.
20:38Jaipur isn't the only monochrome city in the world.
20:40It's blue counterpart is located in Morocco.
20:44It's called Chef Chowin.
20:45Some locals say that the city is painted blue to symbolize the beautiful coloring of the Mediterranean Sea.
20:52Others consider that painting their houses blue keeps them cooler when it's hot.
20:57There are even claims that painting a house blue can help keep mosquitoes away.
21:01People believe that the hue resembles the waves of the sea,
21:05which isn't a really desirable location for insects, if you think about it.
21:17Now, this construction has become the undeniable symbol of the city of love.
21:23Ah, the Tour Eiffel.
21:25I can smell the freshly baked baguette, can't you?
21:28Well, it turns out the Eiffel Tower has a little chromatic secret of its own.
21:33This famous French monument is painted chestnut brown these days, but it hasn't always been this color.
21:40The engineer who built the tower and also gave it its name was a man called Gustave Eiffel.
21:45He claimed that the initial paint used for the tower, a very bright red, was supposed to help protect the
21:51construction from rust,
21:53kind of like the Golden Gate Bridge does in San Francisco.
21:56But since it was built, the Eiffel Tower has had many different hues, like ochre, yellow, and several shades of
22:03brown.
22:04At one point, they even used the ombra paint effect.
22:07It made the tower look as if it was fading upon reaching the sky.
22:12I've hardly ever heard a more touching story than that of the Taiwanese rainbow grandpa.
22:18His name is Huang Yong-fu, and his story begins in the late 2000s.
22:22Given he was officially the last resident, the local authorities were just about to bring down his small village
22:29in order to make room for a modern apartment complex.
22:32To cope with his sadness, the man started painting the walls of the houses in his village.
22:37He began with drawings of birds, cats, and eventually people.
22:41In 2010, a local university student found out about this little DIY project, and the rest was history.
22:48With the help of a fundraising campaign, this little village now attracts a staggering number of tourists each year, over
22:55a million.
22:56It's no wonder the local authorities eventually renounced their plans.
23:00While we're on the subject of beautiful designs, there's a library out there that actually looks like a giant bookshelf.
23:07No, it's not a scene from a fantasy movie.
23:10Somebody actually built that.
23:11One of the facades of the Kansas City Public Library looks like an ordinary row of books lined up on
23:18a shelf.
23:18Well, not really ordinary, since the books are 25 feet tall and 9 feet wide each.
23:24You don't need to be a book nerd to want to check this one out soon.
23:28The world's largest basket isn't meant for overweight cats.
23:32It's actually a building.
23:33Yep, there's a building out there that is actually shaped like a basket.
23:37You can find it in Newark, Ohio.
23:39It was initially built to serve as headquarters for the Longaberger Company, an American producer of hand-crafted wood baskets.
23:47It's also renowned among professionals as one of the best-known examples of mimetic architecture.
23:52It's a type of design where buildings are constructed to mimic their function or purpose.
23:57The building covers 180,000 square feet.
24:01It cost around $30 million to build and was completed in 1997.
24:05With seven floors and a central atrium, it also has a glass ceiling, which lets natural light get inside.
24:12This immense basket is also topped with two steel handles.
24:16They're equipped with heating elements that prevent them from freezing.
24:19They also protect the glass atrium situated right below from any ice that might fall on it during the winter
24:26season.
24:26In Armstadt, Germany, there's a residential building complex built in the 1990s named the Weissspirale.
24:33It has a wonderful design, as well as an interesting story to back it up.
24:38The name literally translates to forest spiral.
24:41This might refer to the plan of the building, along with the fact that its roof is green.
24:46Not simply in color, though.
24:47This swirly building has a jaw-dropping forest on its roof, with maple and lime trees.
24:53The unique construction was completed in 2000.
24:56It has 105 apartments and more than 100 windows, each of them with its particular shape and size.
25:03With 12 floors at its highest point, the building also houses a cafe and a bar.
25:08Another interesting feature?
25:10Each corner in the construction is rounded off.
25:13Now, should you ever find yourself visiting the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, try not to miss the cube
25:19houses.
25:20These unique buildings are placed above ground level on top of a pedestrian bridge, close to the city center and
25:27the Rotterdam Black metro station.
25:29In the 20th century, the city of Rotterdam was damaged.
25:32That's why later, it became the focus of new, cutting-edge architecture designs.
25:37Dutch architect Piet Brom started designing functional housing, which could also leave some room for pedestrians on the ground level.
25:45He got the idea for these houses from simple elements, such as forests and trees.
25:50Each house is placed on a hexagonal pylon, a construction made of concrete and designed to look like the trunk
25:56of a tree.
25:57Each of these pylons has a staircase that leads to well-spaced living areas.
26:01Another example of a house that looks like it has just escaped from a fairy tale is the Nautilus House.
26:08You can find it near Mexico City, Mexico.
26:10With its shell-like shape, it's also one of the first representations of bio-architecture.
26:16The man behind this unique design is Javier Senosieng.
26:20He was inspired by the works of Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright.
26:24The very concept of bio-architecture is that buildings should be constructed based on structures found in nature.
26:31It's also supposed to remind people of their local history and traditions.
26:35The Nautilus House doesn't have a lot of storage space, according to the builders.
26:39But this structure is supposed to be earthquake-resistant and maintenance-free.
26:44Not to mention hundreds of tiny rainbow-colored stained-glass windows decorating the building.
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