Architecture And Design

New subway photo exhibition reveals the behind-the-scenes work that keeps NYC moving

Photo captured at the MTA’s 207th Street Overhaul Shop; Client: New York Times. © Christopher Payne. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design for the exhibition “In Service: MTA Photographs by Christopher Payne.”

September 23, 2026

New subway photo exhibition reveals the behind-the-scenes work that keeps NYC moving

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new photography series in the New York City subway system seeks to illuminate the workers and infrastructure that keep New Yorkers moving behind the scenes. Unveiled Tuesday by MTA Arts & Design, "In Service: MTA Photographs by Christopher Payne" features images shot at 13 MTA facilities and manufacturing plants across four states, revealing the work and coordination required to keep the city's transit system running. The series of 50 photographs is displayed on 52 decommissioned advertising lightboxes at five major transit hubs, marking the first time the agency has presented a single photographer's work across its entire network.
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See the final vision for Park Avenue’s green redesign

Bosque median at 50th Street. All renderings courtesy of Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners

September 18, 2026

See the final vision for Park Avenue’s green redesign

By Devin Gannon

Plans to reimagine Park Avenue as a green oasis in the heart of Manhattan are moving forward. The city's Department of Transportation this week released the final design concept for the 11-block stretch of the corridor, which intends to bring the "park back to Park Avenue" by widening the traffic medians and adding greenery and seating. After gathering feedback from the public this spring, the city, along with Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners, the team leading the design, updated the concept to move the originally proposed two-way bike lane along the median into dedicated space, leaving enough room for both cyclists and pedestrians.
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Renovation of Downtown Brooklyn’s Pacific Library restores skylight, adds solarium

Renderings courtesy of Safdie Architects

September 17, 2026

Renovation of Downtown Brooklyn’s Pacific Library restores skylight, adds solarium

By Aaron Ginsburg

Here is a look at the redesign of Downtown Brooklyn's Pacific Library, the borough’s first public library financed by philanthropist and business magnate Andrew Carnegie. Safdie Architects on Thursday released images of its restoration of the 120-year-old branch at 25 4th Avenue and Pacific Street, which will restore the building’s original conical roof and skylight, expand the interior, add outdoor gardens, and build a two-story solarium. The project is part of the Brooklyn Public Library’s broader effort to restore its Carnegie branches, a network of 67 branches across the city’s three public library systems built at the turn of the 20th century.
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Architecture And Design

Hudson Square gets a colorful pedestrian plaza

Photos courtesy of Hudson Square BID

September 17, 2026

Hudson Square gets a colorful pedestrian plaza

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new pedestrian plaza officially opened in Hudson Square last week, adding 6,500 square feet of car-free space to the Manhattan neighborhood. Painted with a rainbow mural, the colorful plaza runs between Little Sixth and Dominick Street and expands the adjacent Spring Street Park. The roadway features seating, tables, free WiFi, and space for community programming. Designed by Hudson Square Business Improvement District with the city's Department of Transportation, the plaza was funded through a $744,000 NY Forward state grant awarded in 2024.
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Architecture And Design

The Met breaks ground on Frida Escobedo’s new wing for modern and contemporary art

Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

September 16, 2026

The Met breaks ground on Frida Escobedo’s new wing for modern and contemporary art

By Devin Gannon

The biggest project in a $1.5 billion transformation of the country's most visited museum officially kicked off this week. The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday celebrated the groundbreaking of a new five-story wing dedicated to contemporary and modern art, designed by Mexico City-based architect Frida Escobedo. As one piece of an ongoing revamp of the Upper East Side museum, the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing will increase gallery space by 50 percent, add new outdoor space with views of Central Park, and create better connections to the rest of the museum.
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Architecture And Design

23-foot Earth sculpture to hang inside Cathedral of St. John the Divine

“Gaia” at Tewkesbury Abbey, UK, 2024. Photo © Jack Boskett Media Ltd.

September 14, 2026

23-foot Earth sculpture to hang inside Cathedral of St. John the Divine

By Aaron Ginsburg

A massive, detailed sculpture of the Earth will hang inside Morningside Heights’ grand Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Created by UK artist Luke Jerram, "Gaia" measures 23 feet in diameter and features NASA imagery of the planet’s surface as it slowly rotates in the cathedral’s nave, offering a three-dimensional view of Earth floating in space. Installed to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, the sculpture will be celebrated with a special opening reception on Friday, September 18, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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Tom Fruin’s iconic water tower sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park to be restored

Photos by Matthew Pugliese

September 4, 2026

Tom Fruin’s iconic water tower sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park to be restored

By Aaron Ginsburg

The colorful water tower sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park has been removed. But don't worry, it will return next year. Designed by Tom Fruin and installed 12 years ago, the Plexiglas and steel artwork on top of the park's administrative building at 334 Furman Street was dismantled and taken down on Tuesday ahead of a renovation of the building. Like the building, the sculpture, which honors NYC's water towers, will also be restored, as first reported by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. "Watertower 3: R.V. Ingersoll" will be repaired and rehabilitated after more than a decade of exposure to sun, snow, and rain and reinstalled in the fall of 2027.
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Architecture And Design

New memorial honors Port Authority workers killed in attacks on World Trade Center

Credit: Port Authority on Flickr

August 31, 2026

New memorial honors Port Authority workers killed in attacks on World Trade Center

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new memorial honors the Port Authority employees who perished in the 1993 and 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the World Trade Center Memorial Fund on Friday unveiled the memorial, an 8-foot-tall stainless steel model of the Twin Towers fronted by an American flag, with the employees' names inscribed on its two-foot-tall granite base. Located next to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in Liberty Park, the memorial offers a quiet space of remembrance for those who lost their lives in the attacks.
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Architecture And Design

NYC expands free rooftop tours at historic Manhattan Municipal Building

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

August 28, 2026

NYC expands free rooftop tours at historic Manhattan Municipal Building

By Aaron Ginsburg

Larger groups are now permitted to attend the city's free tours of the historic David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building following growing demand. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei on Friday announced expanded access to “Centre 360,” a panoramic experience inside the Beaux-Arts government building's 36th-floor cupola, increasing the maximum group size from five to eight. The move comes just months after the tours launched in June following a $6 million renovation, with reservations for the experience selling out in less than two minutes.
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$36M renovation of historic Eastern Parkway Library breaks ground

All images courtesy of NYC Mayor’s Office unless noted otherwise

August 28, 2026

$36M renovation of historic Eastern Parkway Library breaks ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

Work has begun on the $36 million transformation of Crown Heights' historic Eastern Parkway Library. Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday announced the start of the project, which will expand public space at the century-old Brooklyn Public Library branch at 1044 Eastern Parkway by more than 50 percent while preserving its historic architecture. Led by the city's Department of Design and Construction, the project is expected to be completed in summer 2028.
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Architecture And Design

Noho parking lot to become 200 apartments after Landmarks approves revised design

By Aaron Ginsburg

A corner parking lot in Noho will become a pair of apartment buildings with over 200 apartments after the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved the project. Developed by Minskoff Equities and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the development includes two high-rise rental buildings, with up to 210 homes, including up to 65 affordable units, on a vacant lot at 375 Lafayette Street. First presented in March, the team's revised design addresses previous concerns over the scale, prominent facade exposures, and other details the commission felt were out of place in the historic neighborhood.
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Studio Gang, Sauerbruch Hutton to redesign German consulate in NYC

Skyline view from the river. © sauerbruch hutton

August 17, 2026

Studio Gang, Sauerbruch Hutton to redesign German consulate in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

Architecture firms Studio Gang and Sauerbruch Hutton have been tapped to redesign German House, home to Germany’s consulate in New York City. Selected as the winner of an international design competition, the firms will "radically transform" the building’s facade, enhance its environmental performance, and reinforce the tower’s status as a civic landmark. Sauerbruch Hutton will serve as the lead architect, with Studio Gang as the architect of record, on the 23-story government building at 871-873 First Avenue.
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Architecture And Design

Did you know the country’s only floating pool is in the Bronx?

All photos by Danny Avila for NYC Parks

August 7, 2026

Did you know the country’s only floating pool is in the Bronx?

By Nicole Mondrus

Although it's technically safe, you may not want to swim in the East River. Swimming on the East River, however, is an entirely different story. The Floating Pool Lady is not just a pool. It’s a floating pool within a retrofitted barge that’s currently docked at Barretto Point Park in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. Best of all, it's the only floating pool in the country.
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Architecture And Design

SOM to lead $200M redevelopment of 460 Park Avenue

Renderings credit: VMI

July 28, 2026

SOM to lead $200M redevelopment of 460 Park Avenue

By Aaron Ginsburg

An aging Park Avenue office building will undergo a $200 million renovation to turn the property into a state-of-the-art modern workplace. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) on Monday began the redevelopment of 460 Park Avenue, which involves stripping the mid-20th-century structure down to its steel frame before rebuilding it with cutting-edge infrastructure and 350,000 square feet of premier office space. Led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the project will include a new lobby, modern elevators, and a floor-to-ceiling glass facade, with completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2028.
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Governors Island seeks developers to revitalize two historic buildings as arts and recreation hubs

Current exterior of Building B330. Credit: Timothy Schenck

July 23, 2026

Governors Island seeks developers to revitalize two historic buildings as arts and recreation hubs

By Aaron Ginsburg

Two historic military buildings on Governors Island could be transformed into arts and cultural centers or public recreation facilities. The Trust for Governors Island on Thursday released a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) seeking proposals to transform the vacant properties, Buildings 324 and 330. The initiative continues the Trust's broader effort to establish Governors Island as a year-round destination by repurposing former military buildings into dining establishments, event spaces, and other attractions.
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Roy Lichtenstein exhibition at the Whitney will explore the evolution of images

Roy Lichtenstein, Crying Girl, 1963. Offset lithograph: sheet, 17 3/4 × 23 3/4 in. (45.1 × 60.3 cm); image, 17 1/4 × 23 1/8 in. (43.8 × 58.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Scott Newman 2021.135. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/DACS 2026

July 22, 2026

Roy Lichtenstein exhibition at the Whitney will explore the evolution of images

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Whitney Museum of American Art is set to host a career-spanning exhibition this fall celebrating legendary pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, featuring more than 130 works exploring the evolution of his artistic career. Opening October 11, "Roy Lichtenstein: Like New" will examine the artist's engagement with mass culture and his belief that no work is ever truly "stable," but instead exists in a constant state of duplication, reproduction, and being "made new." The featured works span from the early 1940s through the 1990s and offer a reconsideration of Lichtenstein's relationship with image culture at a time when images are endlessly "cropped, filtered, reposted, and recirculated."
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This Brooklyn playground features paths made of recycled wine corks from NYC restaurants

Photos courtesy of Tameek Williams

July 20, 2026

This Brooklyn playground features paths made of recycled wine corks from NYC restaurants

By Aaron Ginsburg

A first-of-its-kind playground, crafted from hundreds of thousands of wine and champagne corks sourced from New York City restaurants, has opened at a public housing complex in Brooklyn. Unveiled last week at Gravesend's Marlboro Houses, "Village Vibes" delivers custom play features, stormwater mitigation measures, and soft, accessible pathways made from roughly 450,000 recycled corks. The installation is the first initiative from the Cork Collective, which seeks to repurpose the material for civic improvement projects across the country.
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Architecture And Design

American Express breaks ground on 55-story headquarters at 2 World Trade Center

Renderings courtesy of Foster + Partners

July 9, 2026

American Express breaks ground on 55-story headquarters at 2 World Trade Center

By Aaron Ginsburg

American Express on Thursday broke ground on a new global headquarters at 2 World Trade Center, the final commerical tower of the Lower Manhattan campus. Developed by Silverstein Properties and designed by Foster+Partners, the tower at 200 Greenwich Street measures roughly 2 million square feet across 55 floors, with enough space for 10,000 American Express employees. Completion is scheduled for 2031.
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Architecture And Design

50-story Brooklyn Heights mixed-use tower with 136 apartments and a jazz club breaks ground

Images courtesy of One Montague Place

July 2, 2026

50-story Brooklyn Heights mixed-use tower with 136 apartments and a jazz club breaks ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction began this week on what will become one of Brooklyn's tallest buildings. Located at 205 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, One Montague Place will rise roughly 50 stories and include 46 condominiums, 90 rentals, 40,000 square feet of retail, and an ultra-luxe amenity package, including a jazz club. Developed by Landau Properties in partnership with Third Millennium Group and Midtown Equities, and designed by Hill West Architects, One Montague Place will reach 672 feet, making it one of the tallest towers in the borough.
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June 22, 2026

New York Historical opens $175M democracy wing designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

By Aaron Ginsburg

The newest wing at New York’s oldest museum officially opened this week following a 71,000-square-foot expansion. Completed just in time for the nation's 250th birthday, the $175 million Tang Wing for American Democracy at The New York Historical, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), marks the first expansion of the landmarked campus in nearly a century. The new wing adds space for exhibitions, programming, and democracy education, including the first dedicated home for the American LGBTQ+ Museum, the institution's Patricia D. Klingenstein Library collection, a courtyard, and a rooftop garden with Central Park views.
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New McGuinness Boulevard mural highlights safety upgrades

Credit: Ben Wolf

June 22, 2026

New McGuinness Boulevard mural highlights safety upgrades

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new temporary public art installation on McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint seeks to draw attention to the safety improvements being implemented as part of the corridor's redesign. Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn last week announced the completion of artist Kevin Cincotta's mural at Father Studzinski Square, which transforms 1,600 square feet of asphalt and 80 linear feet of concrete bike barriers into a public artwork. The boulevard is currently undergoing a major redesign that includes parking-protected bike lanes along the notoriously dangerous corridor between Meeker Avenue and the Pulaski Bridge.
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A public artwork you can play with comes to Union Square

Photos by Jane Kratochvil, courtesy of Union Square Partnership

June 15, 2026

A public artwork you can play with comes to Union Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new interactive public sculpture designed by Fashion Institute of Technology students opened at University Plaza in Union Square last week. Created in collaboration with the Union Square Partnership (USP), "Bead Maze" reimagines a doctor’s waiting-room toy as a large-scale artwork featuring interactive plywood beads connected by bent steel pipes and a color palette inspired by the vibrancy of the Union Square Greenmarket. The project, located between 13th and 14th Streets, was brought to life by design collective Scale Rule, which works pro bono to help realize student concepts through design, fabrication, and installation.
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Architecture And Design

NYC unveils the first look at the future of sidewalk sheds

Photos courtesy of Gabrielle Beaumont

June 15, 2026

NYC unveils the first look at the future of sidewalk sheds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Two of six prototype sidewalk sheds that forgo the traditional unsightly design have been installed outside the Department of Buildings headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Designed by Arup, the sheds provide additional space to improve circulation and increase light for visibility, while enhancing the streetscape with a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. The structures, on view in front of 280 Broadway for 30 days, are a first look at new shed designs, required by a law passed by the City Council last year.
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Historic Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus reopens after 5-year renovation

The new Carroll Street Bridge in retracted position. Credit: NYC DOT

June 11, 2026

Historic Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus reopens after 5-year renovation

By Aaron Ginsburg

The 137-year-old Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus will reopen next week after a five-year rehabilitation, with access limited to pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles. The city's Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced that the historic 1889 structure—one of just four remaining retractile bridges in the country—will reopen on June 15. The trapezoid-shaped one-lane bridge, closed since 2021, has been locked in an open position throughout the rehabilitation and barred to all vehicular traffic.
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Architecture And Design

SHoP Architects to design new Gotham FC training hub in NJ

Renderings courtesy of SHoP Architects

June 11, 2026

SHoP Architects to design new Gotham FC training hub in NJ

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gotham Football Club has tapped renowned architectural firm SHoP Architects to design a new $35 million training facility in New Jersey for the championship-winning women's soccer team. Announced on Wednesday, the project will transform the former New York Red Bulls training facility in Whippany into a purpose-built training hub focused on player performance, recovery, and well-being, making it one of the first facilities to meet the National Women’s Soccer League’s new training standards. Renovations are expected to begin later this summer, with completion targeted for summer 2027.
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