October 3, 2008

OpenHouse NY 2008 no-reservations required picklist

The sixth annual OpenHouse New York event takes place this weekend, opening up 200 or so sites for free access, including many that are not open to the public any other time.

The bad news is that the most exclusive locations — the abandoned High Line railroad line and the Woolworth Building — have already maxed-out on their reservations.

However, many of the spots require no reservation at all. NewYorkology has pulled together a list of some of the sites offering the most interesting access this weekend. Granted, there are a lot of other good locations on the list that are always open to the public (the Chrysler Building’s lobby, for example) but this list emphasizes the seldom-open spots.

Be mindful that the printed guide to OHNY is only partly accurate; there have been cancellations and additions as well as time and location changes. Updates can be found in a number of places, including the OHNY website’s program and site update pages. OHNY has also started tweeting site updates on Twitter; and NewYorkology has been tweeting updates as well. (If you use Twitter, please tag updates with #OHNY if you find sites with unexpectedly long lines, or closed, which unfortunately happens.)

The picklist:

Sites open both Saturday and Sunday
Governors Island will open some of the homes in the historic district that have never before been open to the public Ferry’s from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m; note that the ferry schedule changed this week.

Seldom-open New York City Marble Cemetery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weekend.

Washington Irving High School on Irving Place opens both days from noon to 3 p.m. showcasing its land-marked murals and Gothic-inspired public spaces.

Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island opens some of its oldest, rarely open, unrestored homes and farmhouses both days from 1 to 5 p.m.

Two-hour harbor tours on the 101-year-old tugboat Pegasus departing at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Site-specific BREAKING GROUND – A Dance Charrette staged in Hangar B of the city’s original municipal airport, Floyd Bennett Field at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Site-specific, family-friendly performance of The Crane Wife on Pier 66 (on the Hudson at W. 26th) at 1 and 3 p.m.

3,000-square foot Broadway Penthouse at Great Jones opens from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.- UPDATE: SITE CANCELED

Queens Theatre in the Park is offering behind the scenes tours of its recent renovation from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday

Glass blowing demonstrations at Pier Glass Art Studio in a Civil War-era warehouse in Red Hook, with talks by the artists both days at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Saturday-only list
The neo-Renaissance Prince George Ballroom (at 15 E. 27th St at 5th Ave.,) will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Quirky remodel of the Kushner Residence which includes salvaged subway doors, open in Greenwich Village from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Church in the Bronx will offer tower tours up its 225-year-old wooden staircase from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The neo-Georgian style Caroline Ladd Pratt House and other Pratt buildings will be open for tours a t 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

At 2 p.m. the Episcopal Actors’ Guild presents “The Devil and Daniel Webster” at the Neo-Gothic Church of the Transfiguration, at 1 E. 29th St. at 5th Ave.

“Angels & Accordions,” a site-specific dance will be performed at Green-Wood cemetery at noon and 3:30 p.m.

Thirteen/ WNET studio tours every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

TheJohn M. Mossman Lock Collection (normally $10 entrance fee) will open for free as part of the The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in Midtown from 9 to 5 p.m.

Fantasize about the roof deck you always wanted at the anderson architects West Chelsea studio with views of the Hudson and other rooftops from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

School of the Future: Green Roof & Garden opens from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Arsenal in Central Park is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tours of the roof decks and WPA-era murals, but the Parks Dept. suggests guests “sign in early, there’s a 30-person maximum per tour.”

Sunday-only list
Westbeth, the “largest artists community in the world” at 155 Bank Street in the West Village will open for tours from 2 to 4 p.m.

Park Slope’s Montauk Club, inspired by a Venetian Gothic palace, opens from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

Related: Bowery Boys’ Top 10 OHNy sites
Forgotten NY’s coverage of OHNY 2007, Part II

Picture credits: NYC Marble Cemetery, Governors Island, Mossman Lock Collection, all by Amy Langfield/NewYorkology

October 3, 2008 12:52 PM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, Downtown, Kids, Midtown, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Tours

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