Open House New York -- historical and architectural sites throw doors open

This year I have circled:

The Gatehouse
Grant's Memorial
Chelsea Market
Floyd Bennet Field
The Montauk Club
Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House

Sadly I will definitely not get to all of these.

laurel - do you mean the actual bank on the 1st floor? would make kinda a weird condo. i guess they could chop it up, what with the ceiling being 3 stories high, would be a shame tho. i would make it the lobby or something like that - such a sweet room.

I bet I haven't been in Grant's Tomb since I was ten (right after they interred him).

I think they've scrapped the Gatehouse, Laurel?

Floyd Bennett Field sounds like one of the more value-added picks. are the Grant's Tomb and Wyckoff House tours unique to this weekend?

http://static.flickr.com/28/91455323_e92a237e7b.jpg

Coming Oct 6 & 7

but not telling us any details until Sept 28

but they're hyping Red Hook and Roosevelt Island

Thanks, Morbs! I forgot last year.

I saw the Masonic Lodge a couple of years ago...was kinda disappointed...they did a good job at hiding the rooms where the initiates get paddled and such...

I was not disappointed in the Masonic Lodge! I imagined the rites w/ no problem...

up gabbneb's alley:

5th annual openhousenewyork Weekend

friday, October 5, 2007
7-9 pm
The Torch Club
18 waverly place

join the party and meet the architects, designers,
planners, and OHNY friends who help make
OHNY Weekend America's largest
architecture and design event!

$25 per person in advance / $35 at the door

I don't live on Waverly Pl!

washington mews?

The guide is in the Times on Sunday.

I got mine today - maybe it's different for delivery?

It's up online:

http://www.ohny.org/weekend/listings.cfm

and gabb is right, it's in the paper TODAY.

Oh no, it wasn't ... at least, not in many...

The 2007 openhousenewyork (OHNY) Weekend Event Guide will be inserted into the New York Times city edition at all newsstands in Queens, Brooklyn and the east side of Manhattan on Wednesday, October 3.

On Friday, September 28, home subscriptions received the OHNY Weekend Event Guide, but, due to circumstances beyond OHNY's control, many newssstands did not receive the New York Times edition with our guide. We are remedying this inconvenience with the October 3 insert, and, as of September 28 through the Weekend, guides are available at any OHNY info centers in Manhattan.

In addition, free guides will also be available during the OHNY Weekend at all OHNY sites and info centers.

http://www.ohny.org/weekend/listings.cfm

Please note that advance reservations for sites and programs has started and all reservation information is in the OHNY Event Guide. OHNY does not take reservations; you must contact the specific site or program directly.

And of course, I bought my NYT at a Brooklyn deli and there's no fucking guide in it. Off to 536 LaGuardia Place later...

all reservation info is on the site too

Oh lordy, Floyd Bennet Field or the MTA substation, well-dee well-dee, which will it be?

mta substation is booked

site updates - http://www.ohny.org/weekend/updates.cfm
program updates - http://www.ohny.org/weekend/updates.cfm?upd=2

Rats, that always happens. A nice bike ride to the airfield it is.

I've pencilled in Roosevelt Island's Southpoint - The Encampment (though I don't really understand it), Astoria Pool (in my new neighborhood) and the Jacob Riis Bathhouse at Rockaway Beach. However, I will probably be running around trying to buy furniture of off Craigslist people instead.

http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2007/08/encampment-public-art-project-are-gates.html

bump

I hate the architecture firms opening their offices to tours, I can't help thinking that's SO MUCH BS, and it's like they're becoming the bulk of the sites, over historical ones. How totally totally boring.

Also, how totally up their own collective ass, as if their OFFICE SPACE is as significant as something 200 years old that only the park rangers and the cleaning crew have ever seen apart from this one weekend a year.

also, many of the outerborough sites are museums that are open anyway.

Yeah, I saw some of those, too -- I should go on this one day to see the regular exhibits...? I want the water tower, the substation, the little red lighthouse, the inside of the Grand Army Plaza arch! Etc. Oh well.

i'm not much for the architecture firms, but i'll bet there are a lot of people who are. some of the museums are of architectural interest and have tours. but even the ones that aren't are, you know, free.

Obviously there are people who are, because they've had more and more company addresses for the past few years. I just think it's self-promotey and in questionable taste to be shoehorned into an event that is (well, was) about historical New York.

http://www.thecityreview.com/giovani1.jpg

And here's some extra good news on Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, New York City's first airport: Despite what it says on the OHNY site, no reservations are required to tour the control tower and passenger tunnels. "It's an open day," according to the National Park Service spokesperson who answered the "reservation" line today.

http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2007/10/ohny_updates_hi_1.php

also
http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2007/10/open_house_ny_r_2.php
and
http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2007/10/a_couple_more_o.php

tomw, maybe Rock Ctr UK roof garden & Montauk Club

TS: Montauk Club v Litchfield Villa

The Roosevelt Isl Octagon was a total waste of time, except for the nice bike ride. It's been gutted and not restored to any approximation of the original, they simply modernized the whole interior and while it's not ugly, necessarily, I would never go out of my way to see it. Plus they use the tour to try and sell you on their pricey rental apartments which are unfortunately really poorly laid out and underwhelming in every way except the view of the river. Gross.

Haha, I'm glad I missed that one. The only one I had time for was the Encampment, which was very interesting. Walked past this spooky dark trail to the crumbing edifice of the smallpox hospital, then further along to the Southpoint field, which was set up with illuminated tents. I didn't really understand all of the exhibits within the tents--a lot of them you had to read stuff, but it was hard to read. I didn't want to make the time to actually crawl into each tent, so I just peered in. Great views of the Coca Cola sign, Chrysler and Empire State buliding, and bridges galore. Also took the tram there and back, which was a first for me. New York, why are you so loud when I am trying to sleep at night? I thought Ditmars was supposed to be quiet.

felt like a light year in terms of big shiny must-dos or maybe i've just been here long enough that i've seen most of the big-ticket items. also just don't have a passion for 19th century interiors by and large, and that takes up a lot of the calendar. but still a grand resource.

In theory I wanted to see a lot of this, but I was content to take a walk to see the ceiling of the AT&T lobby and move on.

It's a hell of a ceiling!

Missed it again, rats. I love this but I like going to the far-flung and less popular sites--Floyd Bennet Field and the Highbridge Water Tower and the Little Red Lighthouse etc etc are standouts from past years. The whole idea of crowds and waiting in lines puts me right off.

NY Architecture/Design Film Festival just started up: https://adfilmfest.com/site/ny2018

Archtober events: https://2019.archtober.org

and this year's OHNY events list is unveiled tomorrow

I'm going to be in town for OHNY this year! I've done the Chicago one a bunch of times and am excited to check out sites in a new city.

lmk what whets your appetite

https://ohny.org/weekend/event-guide

reservations open

Hamilton Grange, anyone been?

It's open!

we're on our way out to some sightseein'!

currently taking place! anybody seeing anything good?

i feel like every year they redesign the ticket system, and still every year is a stressed-out high-stakes speed-clicking match that leaves everybody frustrated. i didn't get my top couple picks this year (the infrastructure stuff goes FAST), but managed a nice little lineup of public and affordable housing complexes old and new. nice weather for it, too!

out of town :(