At 1,250 feet, New York City’s Empire State Building was the world’s tallest until the World Trade Center was completed in 1970. The tower at the top—from which King Kong famously swung—was intended to be a mooring post for dirigibles, a type of aircraft. Though several zeppelin-like aircraft attempted to moor, the airships were less successful at latching on than the giant ape.
Photo by William Wachter
Hidden in Plain Sight
Alum Writes Book Exploring Places’ Little-Known Histories
A castle on Long Island that was the site of an attempted murder. An unfinished 105-story hotel in North Korea. An iconic Russian cathedral that may have been saved by an architect who stood up to Stalin. These are just a few of the buildings that John Reisinger ’66 explores in his new book, “The Secrets Behind the Structures.”
A civil engineer, Reisinger spent his career examining structures and learning every detail that went into their construction—and he didn’t just mean beams and joists. “I could see from the inside that there’s all kinds of stuff that goes into it—economics, politics,” he says. On a trip to the Bahamas with his wife years ago, Reisinger stumbled upon the neglected remains of the Royal Victoria Hotel. Learning more about the abandoned property inspired Reisinger to start collecting the secret histories of buildings around the world.
“Structures and buildings are kind of like people,” says Reisinger. “They have a backstory, a history. Like people, you can’t really tell by looking at them.”
Take a look through some of the more than 65 buildings—famous and forgotten—covered in Reisinger’s book, and learn a few of their secrets.
1 of 5
