During the late 1970s and early 1980s, as big glass and steel boxes
rose across the city, photographer David Anderson dedicated himself
to a project to document Wall Street’s classic architecture. Avoiding
the focus on people, traffic, and street life, he concentrates
attention on architectural details or certain profiles to reveal
built form, energy, and a larger sense of place within the city’s
urban fabric.
Architectural historian Gail Fenske observes: “David Anderson’s poignant photographs capture the coldness, power, and impregnability of the mythical Wall Street. Devoid of the flux of street movement and crowds, the monuments speak. Creatures keep watch, frozen in stone, while surprising traces of decay and delicate detail suggest the contingency, even frailty, of human existence. Paul Goldberger’s masterful introduction guides us as well in seeing and appreciating this historic citadel of American finance.”
David Anderson
David Anderson is an architectural photographer who was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. He moved to New York City at a young age, beginning his photographic career at the Daily News. He served in the U.S. Army as a cameraman, and from 1969-1983, he worked as a cinematographer, specializing in commercials and documentaries. He now lives in the Hudson River Valley.