Okay, posting from the website (not my fave). Any bizarre things, I have very little control over.
Open House New York is, ostensibly, an architectural extravaganza. In reality, for me, it's a really cool way to see things I'd never otherwise get a chance to see in NYC.
As usual, I set an over-achievable agenda for myself. But here’s what I did accomplish.
Saturday, 10am – Brooklyn Academy of Music (1908 construction). A wonderful tour with a very knowledgeable guide. It was a little heavy on the ‘new music’ aspect of the resurgence of the hall, but it covered the basics as well as the more modern aspects. A+ in my book.
After a mad dash to the B38 bus (said dash shared with a couple from San Francisco who come back to NYC every year for OHNY!), we made our way to the Kings County Brewers Collective (381 Troutman Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn – highly recommended). The brewery is visible from the Tap Room. The Tap Room is visible from the street. They have $2.00, 5 oz. tasting glasses available. They have 12 brews available. Hello! They’ve only been in existence for three months. Go there, my NYC peeps.
But I digress. Also on Troutman Street (225) was a design firm which used its own building as an advertising work space. They converted a slim building into a showcase work space cum duplex living space cum apartment building cum green roof— quite a feat. The floors were generic poured concrete (not my favorite, though the designers said they really didn’t mind the cracks). The wood accents were really cool. They bought (cheaply) planks from the Coney Island boardwalk. They shaved off the wear and tear, then split the boards, and then oiled the Brazilian hardwood. Absolutely gorgeous. A little overdone but very effective.
Lift/Next Level was a bit of a bust—sensory deprivation pods making a comeback from the ’70s and ’80s. Not for me. I then went to the Black Lady Theater on Nostrand Avenue, which is being renovated and had some very interesting murals on display. Still, the very loud reggae music was so off-putting that I quickly left.
Sunday at noon found me in the Bronx, at CUNY Bronx Community College. Originally part of NYU, it transformed to BCC. However, one of the crown jewels of the campus—the Gould Library—dates from the early 1900s and is a stunning example of a Stanford White building. I believe that the campus was overwhelmed with the amount of visitors they received, and I’m certainly glad I got there early. The Gould Library tour was stunning. While I did not visit it this time around, I will go back to see the Hall of Fame of Great Americans (check times and availability, but it’s always free).
My next stop on the campus was a set of Marcel Breuer buildings, including (I kid you not!) Meister Hall, Begrisch Hall, and Polowyczk Hall. Very modern, very brash. The docent was extremely knowledgeable and extremely approachable. I followed this with a tour of the new library, built as part of a refurbishment of the quad on campus. It fits in perfectly.
I then went all the way back to Flatbush Avenue to see the newly renovated Kings Theatre—one of the huge movie palaces of the late 1920s. This $95 million restoration was phenomenal. In the lobby is the restored original theater organ console (alas, the pipework and organ itself are lost forever).
A year ago, I volunteered for OHNY, and it was a less-than-enjoyable experience. After seeing and chatting with this year’s volunteers, I may reconsider for October 2017.
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