Tektonomastics haven't just created a Google Map they have created a whole new branch of onomatology (the study of the history and origin of proper names). 'Tekto' is Greek for buildings, so 'Tektonomastics' is the study of building names.
Combine Tektonomastics with geography and you get a Google Map showing the location of buildings with proper names. By taking photographs and mapping the locations of the named buildings in New York, Tektonomastics hope to help these neglected building names live once more.
My only problem with tektonomastics is that they don't appear to have a taxonomy. I suggest they introduce a tagging system for their mapped buildings. Buildings on the map could be tagged by those named after 'people' (with a sub-category of presidents), those buildings named after geographical places) etc.
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Hi Kier --
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing about Tektonomastics! Although we started with a New York City focus, we've had submissions from other US cities and London.
Your point about needing a taxonomy is well taken. We're tidying up the process for adding buildings first, which is not as straightforward as it should be, and will be adding some kind of category/tagging system after that.
You can keep an eye on our progress on our blog.