Terra Cotta Building:

The Terra Cotta office building underneath the Queensborough Bridge has been the focus of much speculation since it sits on the site of Silvercup Studios upcoming $1 billion building project.

The building at 42-10 Vernon Blvd. used to function as offices for the former New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company. When the Terra Cotta Company was torn down, the building remained, though it fell into a state of near-fatal disrepair.

While the site around the building is protected as part of the Queensborough Bridge landmark status, the Terra Cotta office building itself is not technically a New York City landmark, according to Lisi de Bourbon at the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

A representative of Silvercup Studios confirmed that the building project plans to leave the Terra Cotta office intact regardless of its status, to preserve a piece of Queens history.

–Matt Hampton