Guastavino’s New York | Episode 176

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In 1881, Spanish engineer Rafael Guastavino arrived in New York City and unveiled his new technology for building self-supporting vaulted tile ceilings. These ceilings are now iconic elements of many New York landmarks, and the city is home to more than 250 of them, more than any other city in the United States. On this virtual tour, we’ll look at many of the ceilings up close, in both grand public buildings and out-of-the-way places, including in Prospect Park, Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, and the Municipal Building, as we discuss this engineering marvel.

• John Ochsendorf, Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile
• Nobody Living Knew – An Historic Discovery! (Green-Wood Cemetery)
• “With Vaults and Domes, Two Architects Left Their Imprint on City” (New York Times)
• “When the Prescription Is Fresh Air” (New York Times)
• “How One Family Built America’s Public Palaces” (NPR)

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