Fantasy

Circa 1910, a postcard of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Morningside Heights: There’s only one problem: that’s not what the cathedral looked like then or looks like now. The biggest difference is that the crossing tower was never started. There’s a Guastavino dome at the crossing serving as a “temporary” roof…built 123 years ago, now part of the landmarks designation, and still not covered by the big tower. The front (west) towers are not there either, although the south tower was partially constructed in the 1980s and 90s. Work had begin in the 1890s with much fanfare, and a lot of progress was made quickly before 1910, gradually slowing until it stopped around World War II. It is possible today to find renderings of buildings that have not been built yet, or may never be built. Usually it’s clear that they are renderings rather than photos. The more primitive photo-printing of, say, 1910 makes it more difficult to tell if a picture is real or not. And, even after 1900, it…