Author and CALA instructor John Tauranac’s book, Manhattan’s Little Secrets: Uncovering Mysteries in Brick and Mortar, Glass and Stone, hits stores this month. Featured in The New York Times, NY Patch, and the Manhattan User’s Guide, the book points out hundreds of historically important architectural details that you may pass by every day but have never noticed.
There’s a statue of Belgium that was originally Germany, and a buffalo hunt depicted on the Manhattan Bridge, and a clock in a sidewalk. A 
sarcophagus stands in a public park, and the stones from the donjon that had incarcerated Joan of Arc now serve as the base for a statue that honors her. An architect’s likeness is worked into the statuary of a building that he designed (and, no, it’s not Cass Gilbert in the lobby of the Woolworth Building), a Richard Haas trompe l’oeil doesn’t fool all the eyes, and there’s an apocalyptic vision of a collapsing Brooklyn Bridge on a cathedral wall.
We discover all these and more – 120 subjects in all – and all accompanied by Kathryn Gerhardt’s wonderful photographs that illuminate the essence of the subjects, plus two maps to put things in geographical perspective.
About the Author:
John Tauranac writes on New York City’s social- and architectural history, he teaches the subject at NYU’s School of Professional Studies, he gives tours of the city, and he designs maps. His books include the three editions of New York From the Air (Abrams); The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark (Scribner and Cornell), Elegant New York (Abbeville), and Essential New York (Holt Rinehart & Winston). Tauranac has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Observer, Travel & Leisure, New York Magazine, and other publications. Tauranac was named a Centennial Historian by the Mayor’s office for his work in history, he was awarded a Commendation for Design Excellence by the U. S. Department of Transportation and the National Endowment of the Arts for his role in the creation of the 1979 subway map, and he was given an award for Teaching Excellence by NYU’s School of Professional Studies in 2006.
CALA is offering these courses on the history of New York City this Fall:
NEW YORK CITY REAL ESTATE: A SOCIAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY (taught by John Tauranac)
NEW YORK IN THE JAZZ AGE: ART DECO ARCHITECTURE FROM TRIBECA TO THE UPPER WEST SIDE
WORLD CITIES: PARIS, LONDON, AND NEW YORK IN THE 19TH CENTURY
THE CITY AND THE BOOK: A HISTORY OF NEW YORK BOOK CULTURE
Other courses are offered in