October 14, 2009
by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP

This past weekend, 10.10-11.09, architectural sites and programs opened doors to the city as part of the seventh annual openhousenewyork (OHNY). While there were many repeated sites from previous years, this year’s new highlights included: the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and The Standard Hotel, both by Polshek Partnership Architects; the New Museum, by SANAA with Gensler; and Slot House, by noroof Architects.

After participating in OHNY every year, trying to pack in as many sites clustered together as possible in the shortest amount of time, this year I decided to take it slower and explore some of the boroughs outside of Manhattan. In addition to enjoying 93 Nevins, the first LEED for Homes building, by Cycle Architecture; the Old Stone House, a reconstructed Dutch farmhouse in Park Slope where the Brooklyn Dodgers first played; and the Slot House, recipient of a 2007 AIANY Merit Award in Architecture, I found that the walk to each site was as interesting as exploring the buildings. On my way, I discovered a new section of the Gowanus Canal, including a fascinating abandoned home on 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue near an old neon Eagle Clothes sign.

On Sunday, I took the AIANY Emerging NY Architects Committee (ENYA) tour of Highbridge, South Bronx, at the site of the current HB:BX competition. Although I have explored sections on and around the Grand Concourse and Yankee Stadium, seeing the High Bridge looking back toward the water tower in Harlem gave me a new perspective of the city. On the tour, a long-time local shared stories about how the neighborhood has changed over the last 20 years. Even in the last 10 years, he said, the area has transformed from an abandoned place filled with vacant buildings to a fully inhabited, lively community. It is a true shame that the bridge has not been restored to a condition where people can access it and actually walk across from Manhattan to the Bronx, and vice versa.

Overall, I felt that OHNY was not as strong as in past years, despite the beautiful weather. Except for the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant tour and the Grand Lodge of Masons, there were few sites where visitors had to wait in line, from what I heard. Perhaps it was because too many of the sites require reservations ahead of time; or maybe there was less of a marketing effort and word did not get out in time (it did not have Target as its main sponsor this year, and the guide was distributed in NY Metro rather than the New York Times). While the short waiting time was great for those participating, I wonder why this event has not taken off more in the city. With such a rich architectural history (and present), I can only hope for improvement next year.

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