Why Pinball Was Illegal in NYC For 34 Years
Pinball was banned in New York City from 1942 to 1976 after a crusade by Mayor LaGuardia saw thousands of machines confiscated and destroyed.
We loved the audacity of this construction so much from our roundup of houses on top of apartments, that we felt it needed to be highlighted just on its own.
Atop this pre-war (circa 1910) apartment building on 97th and Broadway sits two suburban spreads. The bird’s eye view from Bing maps shows they even have front yards!

Google Earth shows that one has a backyard with some shrubbery:

Just a few details of the buildings you can see from the street. Notice the care taken to replicate the stone patterning from the original building, camouflaging it from the street:

You can catch the chimney in the other unit:

Lest you think this is a one-off oddity in New York City, there are some equally, if not, more creative houses on apartments scattered throughout. Don’t forget to look up!
Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.
See more quirky NYC facts and discoveries in our “Daily What?!” series.
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