Now You See It; Now You Don't. The Disappearance Of The Steinway Mansion From Street Level Viewing.

What a difference a year makes.   The view from 41st Street:

The Mansion has been mostly hidden from street level observation from various vantage points for years.   Now the last complete view of the landmarked Mansion has disappeared as well.

The present view from Steinway Street:

From Steinway Place (the very location of the Steinway piano factory):

From 43rd Street:

From 45th Street:

And now this:

Winky Dink At The Steinway Mansion. Kids, He's Back. From The 1950's! Now You Too Can Have Some Modern Internet Interactive Fun on Your Computer Screen.

That's right Winky Dink spotted at the Steinway Mansion!   Grab your favorite crayon color and follow the instructions.   (Be sure to cover your computer screen with some kind of plastic wrap.   You don't want to p-o Mom and Dad by putting greasy crayon directly on the computer screen.)

First, note the wonderful scene we're going to color in.   Those are masonry blocks getting ready to obfuscate the view of the Steinway Mansion from the 41st Street Side of the property.   But don't worry, we'll hide the view of the mansion before the owners (Loria and Lucchese) and their architect (Caliendo) can: 

Now kids, check out points A and B below.   A is on the northern masonry warehouse wall while B is on the southern masonry wall.   Eventually these points will be connected via roofing!   BUT we're going to beat them, the owners and the architect,  to the punch!

Now be sure you've covered your computer screen with some kind of plastic wrap - remember you don't want Mom and Dad to have a sh--t fit for f---ing up the computer (ha-ha-ha) - and draw a straight line between points A and B.  Why?   Because you'll be drawing the roof line of the planned "Steinway Park" warehouses:

Now, here's where the real fun comes in!   Take your favorite crayon and color in all the space between the 2 walls and then from the line you drew at the top to the construction fence.   (I used my black crayon in mourning for the Mansion but the color choice is completely yours.)

Now wasn't that fun?   Not only did you depict the warehouses'  future presence but you've also eliminated a good chunk more of the Mansion from street level view.

And see how more and more of the Mansion on it's 41st Street side progressively got lost from this view:

You did a good job kids.   Now go outside and play.  And please don't worry that this building's exterior landmarked facade is no longer visible externally.   It's quintessential Astoria.  It's quintessential Queens.

"Progress"?

An Aesthetic Abomination. The Steinway Mansion's 41st Street Side During Past Week's Commencement of Crap Construction.

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Area in front of Mansion facade gets hemmed in by warehouse construction:

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Visitors Misled to Astoria Sights. Plus Update of Steinway Mansion's Visual Defilement. (July 16, 2016)

It has come to our attention that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority misleads potential visitors to the sights of Astoria.   One egregious error: the emplacement of the Steinway piano factory on the wrong side of the street on an official map.  See below.

Site of the sightseeing screw-up - this subway station on Broadway in Astoria:

Red arrow here and below points out the blunder on the official MTA map:

The map was designed, along with other things,  to promote tourism in the Greater Astoria neighborhood:

Among the sites not to be missed -  the world-renowned Steinway Piano Factory and the NYC landmarked Steinway Mansion:

The Steinway Mansion is correctly positioned on 41st street on the map.   However, the Steinway Piano Factory is incorrectly positioned on the south side of its street, Steinway Place.  It should be on the north side.  Also, Berrian Boulevard is not a through street between Steinway Place and Steinway Street:

In the meantime, visitors to the Steinway Historic Area, will see this ongoing aesthetic desecration of the Mansion site with the construction of utilitarian warehouses on 41st Street.  (Brought to you by the owners, Philip Loria and Salvatore Lucchese as well as their "architect" Gerald Caliendo.):

And the Steinway Historic Area visitor will also see the on-going visual lie to potential buyers that the Mansion is visible above the almost completed warehouses on 42nd Street:

Caliendo's Catastrophic Crap. Steinway Mansion's 41st Street Wall. (July 13, 2016)

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The Steinway Mansion. From This To This. Stupidity Run Rampant.

Queens.  Do you really like what you see?  Tragedy or farce?   Do we cry or laugh?

A Tale Of Two Cities. Greeks and Geeks.

ATHENS vs. ASTORIA

(The Parthenon vs. The Steinway Mansion)

Portraying majestically vs. ignominiously one's historical and artistic patrimony:

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Comparison 5.

Why Have A Landmark When You Can't Even See It? Half Of The Steinway Mansion's Facade Viewed From 41st Street Is Now No Longer Visible (July 10, 2016)

Ongoing masonry work now occludes 50% of building's visibility from street level.

The Manson has been hidden from view now for months along the 42nd street side.

Lo and behold! (Steinway Mansion Tower, July 2, 2016)