2012
Open House New York Weekend
You get to the next one, you get the next on down the line
This year’s Open House New York Weekend starts at a venue that I would likely never even consider visiting otherwise, Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club. It’s not that I have anything against Jay-Z as much as it’s rare and unlikely to really see me out at any club, especially a nice one. The club itself was well done, but probably a lot more fun when it’s not completely empty.
From one ornate interior Open House New York site to another. This is the Central Synagogue, on Lexington Avenue a block up from the Citicorp Center Building. An interesting all stenciled, all colorful interior, definitely unexpected.
One of the big five star sites this year was the Brooklyn Army Terminal, where US soldiers arrived and then departed whenever a big world war was going on. Designed by Cass Gilbert, it’s a little less ornate than the Woolworth Building and really quite unexpected inside.
Inside the Brooklyn Army Terminal it feels incredibly futuristic for a building from 1918, and its atrium is one of those great hidden spaces I never heard of before Open House New York opened it up. It’s exactly why I love this weekend so much, and one of the reasons I still love New York so much. There is so much to explore, with always the promise of even more hidden gems to discover.
Talk about hidden gems, here is inside and outside Edward Hopper’s studio, with an absolutely killer location at Washington Square.
The Signature Theatre almost ended up at the World Trade Center but instead ended up on West 42nd Street with an interior designed by Frank Gehry that is… ok.
I think that at this point there is probably a lot of pressure on them to either go crazy or try to be understated, and whichever path they choose always makes the path not chosen look far, far more appealing. In this case the understated approach feels more forgettable and for once I longed for some more crazy, fun moves than simply some plywood and an irregular-ish stair.
We’re taking a quick break from all of the Open House New York to enjoy (maybe “enjoy” is too strong of a word here) two separate promotional events that I happened to pass by while in the city all weekend. First up is the Cash Cab guy (who probably has a name) waving at the crowd in Times Square, while the second is David Blaine being zapped by electricity. The David Blaine one brings up some deeper questions, starting with this one. Why? Is this magic? Or is magic really just a code word for fraud or deception, as obviously David Blaine is not being electrocuted to death all day long on a bust Manhattan street. Probably best not to think about it and to enjoy David Blaine getting zapped by electricity in public all day long. Zap!
This year Open House New York included the Park Avenue Armory as a site, which had some interventions/renovations completed by Herzog & de Meuron although, like the Signature Theatre, those interventions/renovations were understated enough to become kind of invisible. But the difference is that the rest of the Park Avenue Armory is really quite spectacular as a building an a space, so maybe working on an almost invisible intervention/renovation is a solid and smart approach here.
And just like that we’re at our final Open House New York Weekend site, Via Verde in the Bronx. Designed by Grimshaw and Dattner, it is an impressive, fun residential building with a series of terrific roof decks that step down all along the building. A fun building and a great way to close out this year’s Open House New York Weekend.
Keep going back in time. Open House New York 2011 is next.
