New York City apartments for rent are often divided into two categories, those that are in "pre-war" buildings, and those that are not. At its most basic level, a building that is called pre-war was built prior to the Second World War, but the label also implies a certain style: made from brick and stone with decorative details on the outside, and high ceilings, solid walls (not sheet rock), sunken living rooms and arched doorways, among other touches, within.