October 5, 2017
On Saturday and Sunday, October 14 and 15, 2017, Open House New York will present the 15th anniversary Open House New York Weekend, a citywide celebration of architecture and urban design. OHNY Weekend will open more than 200 buildings and projects across the five boroughs, from historic to contemporary, for tours and talks with architects, urban planners, historians, preservationists, and city leaders.
The best thing is that most of these Open Houses are easily accessible by NYC Ferry!
Check out the following participating sites along our NYC Ferry routes (Please note that these are open access sites for both Saturday and Sunday unless otherwise stated):
ASTORIA
- Greater Astoria Historical Society (Astoria) – Once the East River Gas Company, now the Quinn Building, the four story 35-20 Broadway is a loft building made of reinforced concrete: one of the largest buildings in Astoria and home to the Greater Astoria Historical Society’s expansive exhibitions.
- Noguchi Museum (Astoria) – Founded and designed by Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi, The Noguchi Museum is the first museum in the United States to be established by a living artist and is itself considered one of his greatest works.
- Socrates Sculpture Park (Astoria) – Circle Shade—2πR4 is the winning entry to the 2017 Folly / Function competition run by the Architectural League of New York and Socrates Sculpture Park. Come see it on display and hear a talk by the architect.
- Welling Court Mural Project (Astoria) – Whether you are an avid follower of art in the streets or just beginning to notice all the visual delights that abound in this wonderful city, the Welling Court Mural Project has something for everyone and will leave you inspired and smiling wide.
- Estonian House (E 34th Street – you can also take the East River route here) – Organized activity of Estonians in New York started at the beginning of last century, when many emigrated to the USA in 1905 following political unrest in Estonia.
- Church of the Transfiguration (E 34th Street – you can also take the East River route here) – The church provided sanctuary to African-Americans during the Civil War and has a long-time association with the acting community.
EAST RIVER
- City Reliquary Museum (North Williamsburg) – The City Reliquary Museum began as a simple window display on a Williamsburg corner in 2002 and it has become New York City’s finest repository of everyday ephemera and artifacts from the city’s past.
- Church of the Annunciation (North Williamsburg) – Annunciation Church has been a Williamsburg landmark since its construction in 1870.
- Brooklyn Art Library (North Williamsburg) – Over 36,000 sketchbooks, from 100+ countries live within the walls of Brooklyn Art Library.
- Fool’s Gold Records (North Williamsburg) – A new store for record label Fool’s Gold, which features a polycarbonate enfilade, individual nooks for different products, custom made fixtures by the Principals and a sweet sweet gold mirror. Saturday only.
- NY Sun Works Greenhouse Project at PS 84 (North Williamsburg) – The greenhouse at PS84 serves as an urban farm and full time hydroponic science lab for K-8th grade students. Saturday only.
- Kingsland Wildflower Green Roof (Greenpoint) – Kingsland Wildflowers is a Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) project committed to expanding natural habitat and green corridors for bird and wildlife populations.
- West Elm (DUMBO – you can also take the South Brooklyn route here) – West Elm’s new global headquarters are located in Empire Stores, the recently restored 19th-century coffee warehouses along the East River waterfront in DUMBO. Saturday only. Reservations required.
- Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House (Pier 11/Wall Street – take any of our ferry routes to this hub!) – The Alexander Hamilton US Custom House is home to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the National Archives and Records Administration, the US Bankruptcy Court, and other federal agencies.
SOUTH BROOKLYN
- Issue Project Room (Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6/Atlantic Ave) – Originally built in 1926 as the headquarters for the Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks, the theater features a limestone and terra cotta facade, with Renaissance-revival style features including balustrades, egg-and- dart ornamentation, Corinthian columns, and 40-foot vaulted ceilings. Reservations required!
- Urban Post Disaster Housing Prototype (Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6/Atlantic Ave) – Because typical trailer-type post-disaster housing is not suitable for cities, NYC Emergency Management and the NYC Department of Design and Construction, with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA, created a multi-story, multi-family interim housing solution that will work in urban areas across the country based on a shipping container-style modular system. Reservations required!
- Brooklyn Historical Society (Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6/Atlantic Ave) – Founded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society is a nationally recognized urban history center dedicated to preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn’s extraordinary 400-year history. Sunday only!
- Historic Ship Mary A. Whalen (Red Hook) – Last-of-her-kind coastal oil tanker built in 1938. The MARY A. WHALEN worked until 1994 and is now the home of non-profit PortSide NewYork. Sunday only.
- Waterfront Museum (Red Hook) – Built in the Perth Amboy Dry Dock in 1914, the Lehigh Valley No. 79 appears to be the only remaining wooden example of this type surviving today, both largely unaltered and in sound condition and home to this museum. Saturday only.
- Federal Hall National Monument (Pier 11/Wall Street – take any of our ferry routes to this hub!) – Federal Hall National Memorial serves as a museum and memorial to America’s first President and the beginnings of the United States of America.
- Governors Island National Monument (Governors Island – you can also take our East River route here) – Today, this former military installation is set aside as public parkland and is a spectacular destination in New York Harbor. During OHNY Weekend, the roof of Castle Williams will be open to visitors, weather permitting
- Liggett Hall Gymnasium (Governors Island – you can also take our East River route here) – As long as the Chrysler Building is tall, Liggett Hall is the largest building on Governors Island. Atop the archway of this mammoth building sits a gymnasium never before open to the public, used by the Coast Guard until their departure in 1996.
ROCKAWAY
- Fort Tilden (Rockaway) – Named after Samuel Tilden, who served as Governor of New York from 1875 to 1876, this fort protected the entrance to New York Harbor from naval attack during World War I and II along with Forts Hancock and Wadsworth. Sunday only.
- Five Boroughs Brewing Co. (Sunset Park/BAT – you can also take our South Brooklyn route here) – Railroad tracks, gantry cranes, and pre-war hexagonal steel rebar. Five Boroughs Brewing Co., located in a rehabilitated steel fabrication plant in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, produces all of our beer onsite.
- Brooklyn Army Terminal (Sunset Park/BAT – you can also take our South Brooklyn route here) – The Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) is a prime location for industrial companies and a critically important site for businesses looking to grow and expand in New York City. This year, in addition to the building’s awe-inspiring atrium, dozens of artist studios will be open to visit as part of chashama Open Studios.
- Blue School (Pier 11/Wall Street – take any of our ferry routes to this hub!) – Blue School is an independent school for 2-year-olds through 8th grade with a maker-heavy, project-rich curriculum located in the South Street Seaport.
- Cornell AAP NYC Studio/Standard Oil Building (Pier 11/Wall Street – take any of our ferry routes to this hub!) – Once the address of Alexander Hamilton’s Lower Manhattan home, 26 Broadway became a symbol of extravagant wealth in the early 20th century as the headquarters of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. Saturday Only.