Archtober OHNY Tours

In conjunction with Archtober, OHNY is offering three tours throughout October. Tickets are now on sale! See information below.

image courtesy of David Sundberg

7 World Trade Center Tour

Monday. October 3, 2011

1:30-3:30pm, $20

A tour of 7 World Trade Center, the city’s first LEED certified office building. We will visit the newly opened WTC Marketing Center on the 10th Floor, which includes large-scale models and interactive videos about the project and neighborhood. The tour will conclude on one of the high raw floors of 7 WTC, offering sweeping news of the city.

Click here for tickets.

image courtesy of Frank Oudeman

Lower East Side Walking Tour featuring the Switch Building

Monday, October 17, 2011

1:00-2:30pm, $20

The 2009 AIA Merit Award Switch Building by nArchitects was the first in a wave of outstanding architect designed residential buildings built on the Lower East Side. In the immediate vicinity, 115 Norfolk St by Grzywinski+Pons and Bernard Tschumi’s big Blue glass building makes Norfolk street an innovative design hub of lower Manhattan. But the Lower East Side from the creation of the ubiquitous brick walk tenement building to union financed co-operative blocks on Grand Street and Robert Moses era public housing has long been a place of housing experimentation. This tour will locate these new housing prototypes in the long tradition of experimental housing in the area and meet the architects of the Switch Building nArchitects.

Click here for tickets.

image courtesy of Thomas Loof

The Standard New York Tour

Friday, October 28, 2011

4pm-6pm, $20

The eighteen-story, concrete and glass structure defines the identity of the Standard Hotel and engages its urban context through contrast. The building straddles the High Line, an abandoned section of a 75-year-old elevated railroad line, which passes over the Meatpacking District and today is the city’s newest linear public park. The tour will be led by Ennead Architects.

Click here for tickets

Recap: Exploring Harlem’s Black and Jewish Music Culture, Aug 11

On August 11, OHNY joined Harlem One Stop for a walking tour, “Exploring Harlem’s Black and Jewish Music Culture.”  OHNY Volunteer Council member Leah Strigler came and helped out on the tour. She recaps the sites and history that was explored during our evening in Harlem.

Over forty participants followed tour guide John Reddick for a walk in central Harlem, starting at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.

the group gathers around tour guide John Reddick

John shared samples from his extensive collection of sheet music to illustrate the rich musical life that was prevalent in Harlem in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, when music was sampled in clubs and theaters and enjoyed at home via sheet music.  The Apollo Theater, which opened as the 125th Street Apollo in 1934, was a later institution in this mold and stands on the site of an earlier theater, Hurtig and Seamon’s.  The Apollo later merged with the Harlem Opera House, which had been located up the street.

the Apollo Theater

Another major site was the Hotel Theresa, which opened in 1913 at the corner of 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.  Years ago, the hotel was a focal point for the vibrant Harlem neighborhood. Guest included Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker and Lena Horne. Malcolm X also heald an office there. The Hotel also receive a lot of publicity when Fidel Castro famously stormed out of the Shelburne Hotel and took his entourage with him to Harlem, occupying 40 rooms in the top floor of Hotel Theresa during his 1960 visit to the U.N.

Hotel Theresa

Another stop on the tour included the old studio of James Van der Zee, the Harlem photographer whose is famous for his portraits and documentation of the Harlem Renaissance. Van Der Zee’s work was first exposed to a larger audience during the controversial exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harlem on My Mind in 1969.

the photography studio of James Van Der Zee, a prominant figure in the Harlem Renaissance

The tour’s last stop was at Tian, a restaurant in Riverbank State Park on 145th Street, with Panoramic views of the Hudson, live Swing Dance and Big Band Music performed by the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra. John Reddick’s exhibition on this era will be showing this fall at the Casa Frela Gallery, a site that will be featured during the upcoming Open House New York Weekend.

OHNY Sunset Boat Tour

Aerial photo © 2011 Jonathan Atkin

Monday, September 19, 2011
5:15 – 7:30pm

A Waterside View of the  Queen Elizabeth

Then Escort the Luxury Liner AIDAluna out of the Harbor and more

The Zephyr will depart from Pier 16 in the South Street Seaport at 5:15pm and will first take us to see a waterside view of the Queen Elizabeth. Bill Miller, renowned ocean liner expert, will talk about life on board the transatlantic ship and discuss the piers, docks, cargo and history of the ocean liners of the past.Then we will accompany the AIDAluna as she leaves the port and heads out to sea. Maritime photographer and licensed captain Jonathan Atkin will join us as we hear a special harbor salute horn blast for OHNY. Representatives from Sandy Hook Pilots will explain what takes place on the AIDAluna bridge as she maneuvers through the harbor into open waters.

The tour will then head to the Battery, past Governor’s Island and into the Erie Basin. We will learn from historian Betsy Haggerty, former editor of Offshore Magazine, about the history of the Basin and the Erie Canal while enjoying beautiful views of the New York City harbor bridges at sunset.

Confirmation emails with meeting location details and directions will be sent shortly after purchase of your ticket. If you have any further questions, please email: events@ohny.org.

Tickets to this event are non-refundable. Should you not be able to attend, the full price of unused tickets may be treated as a donation to openhousenewyork and is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Purchase tickets here.

New Event – Place setting: Urban farming at its finest

Tuesday, September 13*

6:30 – 9:00 pm

Brooklyn Grange

37-18 Northern Blvd., Long Island City

Join openhousenewyork for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the most rural of urban settings, Brooklyn Grange. In anticipation of the 9th Annual OHNY Weekend and to celebrate the end of summer, OHNY has teamed up with the Consulate General of Israel to host a bon voyage summer soirée in true OHNY-style. Israeli chef Einat Admony of Balaboosta will prepare a special tasting menu with vegetables and herbs picked from the farm that day. The evening includes tours of the farm, live music, and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline while sipping wine and the soirée signature cocktail, a fresh rose sangria with summer peaches, basil and thyme.

Brooklyn Grange is an organic farm is located on the rooftop of a 7-story building in Long Island City, Queens and was founded by Ben Flanner in 2010.  A full acre in size, the farm grows local produce and sells their produce to restaurants and markets throughout the city.

Purchase tickets here.

Please take note of the following:

-attendees are required to walk up two flights of stairs to get to the rooftop farm

-paths on the farm are made of gravel, choose your footwear accordingly

*Rain Date: September 15, 2011

In the event of rain, the event will be postponed to September 15, 2011. Please make sure your calendar is free for both dates before buying a ticket.

Tickets to this event are non-refundable. Should you not be able to attend, the full price of unused tickets may be treated as a donation to openhousenewyork and is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

FamilyDay@theCenter – Exploring Governors Island

Join the Center for Architecture Foundation and openhousenewyork to explore Governors Island, a fabulous getaway just minutes from Manhattan by ferry. We’ll visit historic forts, Victorian houses and learn about past uses and future plans for the island. Bring a picnic or buy it there and stay for the afternoon to enjoy all the island has to offer: bike rentals, mini golf, beach bar-n-grill and an afternoon Jazz Age Lawn Party (separate tickets required).

When: 10:45 AM – 1:00 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 20

Where: Governors Island Ferry Terminal
Battery Maritime Building Just up the East River a bit from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal
10 South Street
New York NY

Meet inside the Governors Island Ferry Terminal at 10:45 AM for the 11 AM ferry to Governors Island. Ferries depart promptly on the hour.
Pre-registration require: register your family here!

Raindate: August 21, 2011

Family Day Programs are designed for children ages 5 – 13 years old, accompanied by an adult. Admission is $20/family of 4; $10 for Center for Architecture Foundation Dual/Family Members; additional guests accompanying a Family Admission are $5 each.

Your registration includes acceptance of our photo release and consent policy.

For more information: (212) 358-6135 or cteegarden@cfafoundation.org

Hidden Harbor Boat Tour

tugboat in the NY Harbor

Hidden Harbor Tour® with the Working Harbor Committee
Tuesday, August 16, 6:15pm

Join OHNY and the Working Harbor Committee on a boat tour to explore the Brooklyn waterfront and New York Harbor – places that are normally hidden from the eyes of most residents and visitors.

The Zephyr will depart Pier 16 at 6:15pm and explore the Brooklyn waterfront down to Sunset Park, over to Kill Van Kull and Howland Hook, back to Military Ocean and Global Marine Terminals and finally, past the Statue of Liberty on this two hour tour.

The world of working maritime vessels and facilities is both fascinating as well as vitally important to our economy. Narrated by Captain John Doswell, the tour will focus on the built environment of the New York harbor and waterways and the maritime industry, both past and present. Purchase tickets here!

The Hidden Harbor Tours® help fulfill the Working Harbor Committee’s mission to strengthen awareness of the working harbor’s history and vitality today, and its opportunities for the future.

(Image courtesy of Bernard Ente.)

Exploring Harlem’s Black and Jewish Music Culture

Thursday, July 21 at 6pm

Join OHNY and Harlem One Stop on a cultural walking tour which will take you through sections of Sugar Hill-Hamilton Heights and Central Harlem. Tour will explore connections and highlight sites associated with Harlem’s Black and Jewish music culture.

The tour will be led by John Reddick and will feature discussion of artists and venues showcased in an upcoming exhibition he’s curated on the subject that’s scheduled for Harlem this fall.

For many, the prevailing music history associated with Harlem evolves around the Apollo Theater, beginning with Frank Schiffman and Leo Brecher taking over the Apollo in 1935. However, beginning in the early 1900’s Harlem’s 125th Street hosted several theaters, including Oscar Hammerstein’s , Harlem Opera House, Hurtig & Seamon’s Burlesque, Weber & Fields’, West End Theatre and the Alhambra Theater.The tour will start at 125th Street and St Nicholas Avenue and end at 145th and Riverside at the Tian at the Riverbank Restaurant with its “Rainbow Room” ambiance and breathtaking views of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge, for an evening of Swing Dance and Big Band Music of the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra.

The ticket includes the walking tour, live music and Swing Dance, and a Tian Special complimentary drink. Participants should have a MetroCard. (Meal not included.)

In collaboration with Harlem One Stop and Tian at the Riverbank.

Explore South Williamsburg/Los Sures with El Puente this Saturday

El Puente, South Williamsburg/Los Sures
Saturday June 18 at 1pm
El Puente is a community human rights institution that promotes leadership for peace and justice through the engagement of members (youth and adult) in the arts, education, scientific research, wellness & environmental action. As a place-based organization with deep roots in the neighborhood, El Puente’s six sites have grown into hubs of community action in multiple areas—in line with El Puente’s principle of Holistic learning.

Walk Los Sures (The Southside of Williamsburg) with us to experience the rich history of indigenous arts and culture that springs forth from self-determination. We honor the history and vibrancy of artists and artisans living & working in North Brooklyn by visiting local landmarks such as the beautiful outdoor murals of Los Muralsitas, our local community garden Espiritu Tierra, and the favorite haunts of El Puente CADRE (Community Artists’ Development & Resource Exchange) members.

Buy tickets here.