The New York skyline is in constant flux, towers of glass and steel rising rapidly beneath ever-present veils of scaffolding. And while locals may lament the changes, the reality is that New York architecture has never been static. In this collection of architectural "biographies," New York Times journalist Sam Roberts guides readers through four centuries of the city's history, as personified by twenty-seven significant structures. Stops along the "tour" include a 350-year-old house in Queens that played a critical role in establishing religious tolerance in the US; Tweed Courthouse, a tangible reminder of the corruption and greed that plagued nineteenth-century New York politics; the Asch Building, location of the tragic yet galvanizing Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; the Apollo in Harlem, which helped launch the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, and Billie Holiday; and the still-majestic Grand Central Terminal. Fascinating!