There is a worker on raising the American Flag, standing precariously on the dome of the building in the middle of the picture.

Wikipedia's entry on the Tribune building features before and after shots of the building's height adjustment. How on earth were 9 stories added to the middle of the building? Were the roof and tower dismantled, stored somewhere, and just slapped back on? I've never heard of this being done to a building before.

[This New York Times article of May 3, 2012 says that's exactly what was done - tterrace]

At the extreme right-hand edge of this panorama is the upper part of the Broadway-Chambers Building, built in 1899-1900. This 18-story building was Cass Gilbert's first New York commission; it is decidely different from his later Gothic Revival skyscrapers like the West Street and Woolworth Buildings (both seen previously on Shorpy). I've always known this as a very colorful building (the middle part of the shaft is clad in red and blue bricks), but I've never seen such a great view of the sculptures at the top! The copper cresting at the very top (called a cheneau) was removed a long time ago, but the rest of the exterior is pretty much intact.

Looks like newspapers under his arm. A statue I hope.

More info: There are actually two similar statues on that building. Looking from the other direction in LoC 4a11542 shows them both.

Wouldn't it be strange for a publisher to memorialize newsies? The newsies didn't work for the papers, and had staged a week-long strike against them not many years prior (see Kid Blink).

Yet more info: While working my way back through Shorpy images I found another view of the two statues, in Shorpy's "New York: 1908" ( https://www.shorpy.com/node/2629 ) The savvy commenter there did not identify this particular building, however.

Clearly it's two ladies checking out the view, both in hats.

That's a pretty long stretch for accuracy in defining it is actually an observer, if so, it's a woman with a large hat and she is kneeling. Note the "man" about to walk off the top of the building in the lower left.

[It's really not much of a stretch. - Dave]

... indeed.

Marvelous imagery.

The building directly behind City Hall with the pagoda like skylight is the Tweed Court House (now the Board of Education). It is quite spectacular both inside and out. This was the building that caused the end of Mayor Tweed's reign. I was standing in front of it on 9/11 when 7 World Trade Center came down. We were moving the Office of Emergency Operations to its new temporary head quarters from its old HQ in 7 WTC.

I wonder if that huge Shorpy 'sign' on the building is real or not?

[Pssst... Shhhh! - tterrace]

There seems to be a severe jaywalking problem. 1908 was before Bloomberg.