Hidden in Plain Sight

Alum Writes Book Exploring Places’ Little-Known Histories

May 15, 2018
By Sala Levin ’10

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.

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

Moscow’s iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral was endangered in the 1930s when Joseph Stalin expressed interest in destroying the religious landmark. Architect and preservationist Pyotr Baranovsky sent a sternly worded telegram to the Kremlin urging them not to demolish the building—legend has it that he threatened to chain himself to the doors and kill himself if the demolition went through. For whatever reason, St. Basil’s Cathedral was spared—and Baranovsky got sentenced to five years in Siberia for his action. Photo by Nikolay Vorobyev

Construction on the pyramid-shaped, 105-story Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang started in 1987 but ground to a halt when North Korea’s economy spiraled in the 1990s. Then-ruler Kim Il Sung had envisioned a luxury hotel with lounges, casinos and nightclubs, but it’s now the world’s largest unoccupied building. Construction has re-started and stopped in fits over the years, and there’s no sign that the building will ever be finished. Courtesy of Martin Cígler

Built by financier Otto Kahn in the early 20th century, Oheka Castle on Long Island is the second-largest private home in the U.S., behind only the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. The 109,000-square-foot castle cost Kahn—who inspired the mustachioed “Mr. Monopoly” character—$11 million, and has been seen in “Citizen Kane” and even Taylor Swift’s music video for “Blank Space.” In 2014, owner Gary Melius survived a gunshot to the head by a masked gunman who has never been identified. Photo by Michael Fucci

The Safeway grocery store in Easton, Md., didn’t look like much when it closed last year. But in 1928, it was the site of the Calvary Methodist Protestant Episcopal Church—and an unexpected Hollywood wedding. Not far away, in St. Michaels, movie stars Gary Cooper (of “High Noon”) and Fay Wray (of “King Kong” fame) were filming the silent movie “The First Kiss.” Wray and her boyfriend, author and screenwriter John Monk Saunders, got married at the church during filming. Photo by Josh Bollinger/The Star Democrat

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