Events & Things To Do

October 1, 2014

Strivers’ Row Home Tour & Exhibit at Macy’s Showcase Harlem’s Elegant Enclave

This weekend, all you old-house lovers will have two opportunities to step back in time and explore the elite Harlem enclave known as Strivers' Row. Located on West 138th to West 139th Streets, between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, the area was once home to prominent, wealthy African-American performers, artists, and professionals who lived in the harmonious row of stately brick dwellings. Running until Sunday, October 5th is an exhibit at Macy's called “Strivers’ Row Style: Uptown Comes Downtown,” which will feature vignettes by various designers of what the interiors of these historic homes would have looked like during the heyday. Also on the 5th is the Strivers' Rome Home Tour, which lets participants inside eight of the distinctive residences and four historic churches.
More on Striver's Row and the upcoming events
September 30, 2014

openhousenewyork’s Weekend Event Guide is Finally Here – Take the Tours!

You can probably guess that we're pretty excited about the 12th annual openhousenewyork weekend, taking place this year on October 11th and 12th, so of course we couldn't wait to share the just-announced guide to the spaces on this year's roster. Tour goers will have access to 300 sites and tours in all five boroughs, including private residences, new buildings, and sites of architectural, cultural, and historical significance. Some of the sites we're most looking forward to touring are the TWA Flight Center at JFK, Kickstarter headquarters, the Manhattan Micro Loft, and El Barrio's Artspace PS109.
More on these sites and the entire OHNY Weekend
September 26, 2014

Upcoming Exhibition at MCNY Showcases Hyper-Real Photos of NYC from Artist Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao

An upcoming exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, New York: Assembled Realities, will showcase more than 40 works from Taiwanese artist Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao. His large-scale panoramas push the boundaries of traditional documentary photography by mixing several exposures of the same location taken over the course of many hours. The photographs that result are hyper-real and complex and provide a fascinatingly accurate depiction of the frenzy that is New York.
More on the exhibit and Liao's work
September 25, 2014

GIVEAWAY: Win Two Tickets to the Architecture and Design Film Festival!

Your three favorite things rolled into one five-day event: the Architecture and Design Film Festival. Starting October 15th, 25 curated films will be on show at the Tribeca Cinemas for the nation’s largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design. Sound like something you’d love to see? We’ve teamed up with ADFF to give one lucky reader two free […]

September 24, 2014

REVEALED: Beekman Hotel and Condo Interiors

Last month, pricing and exterior renderings were released for the much-anticipated Beekman Hotel and Condo conversion project. The long-shuttered historic structure (originally known as the Temple Court Building) will be topped off with a 51-story condominium tower adjacent to the 1883-built landmark and its famous atrium. It will contain 68 residential units designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen. The building's lower levels will house 287 hotel rooms. Now, Curbed has received the first reveal of the interior renderings, and they do not disappoint. From the modern apartments with Woolworth Building views to the luxe amenity areas, the rooms at 5 Beekman Street exude luxury and prestige. One of the most impressive interior shots is of the atrium, which extends through all nine stories of the original Terra Cotta structure and is topped off by a large, pyramidal skylight. It will be a lounge by Tom Colicchio known as the Living Room, the centerpiece of the hotel and a fine dining spot for residents and guests alike.
Tour the rest of the conversion, from the atrium to the roof terrace
September 17, 2014

Get Your Tickets for the Architecture & Design Film Festival

For the sixth year, the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) will take over the screens at Tribeca Cinemas, offering guests access to a special lineup of over 25 curated films from around the world. Running from October 15-19, this year's festival features an impressive panel of distinguished speakers, Q&A's, and special parties. It also will host the U.S. premier of Cathedrals of Culture, a 3D film project by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Tickets go on sale today.
More details on this year's festival
September 17, 2014

Highlights: What Real Estate Big Wigs Have to Say About Brooklyn and Its Future

Brooklyn real estate is hot, very hot, and there’s no cooling off in sight, according to most speakers at yesterday's sold-out Brooklyn Real Estate Summit, sponsored by Massey Knakal and held at the Brooklyn Museum. From Billy Macklowe to David Shorenstein and Jonathan Rose, get the run-down of what the industry's leading pundits have to say about BK real estate.
What they're saying about Brooklyn here
September 16, 2014

Event: Join Top NYC Architects and Artists at the 14+ Foundation Benefit to Build Schools in Zambia

The second Annual 14+ Foundation Benefit on October 2nd will support the building of schools in Zambia with the help of top New York architects and artists. Julian Schnabel, Rashid Johnson, and the Bruce High Quality Foundation have donated works for a live art auction, and Solange Knowles is set to perform. The event will take place at the Diamond Horseshoe from 6:00pm to 2:00am. It follows the organization's work on the Chipakata Children's Academy in Lusaka, Zambia, a new school, orphanage, and community facility that will provide arts-based learning programs, as well as daily meals.
More details on the benefit and 14+ Foundation's work
September 16, 2014

Pee-Eww! Artist Kate McLean is Creating a ‘Smellmap’ of NYC

New York City stinks, yes, but this city of ours is rich in smells like no other. To document the odors that linger, excite and nauseate inhabitants, British multi-sensory artist Kate McLean and her army of sniffers are running around town with their noses to the wind—and deep in trashcans. McLean has so far mapped a block of Greenwich Village and her latest jaunt took her and her team out to Bedford Avenue, where she found the most offensive odor to be "the aroma of a marijuana joint". Not convinced?
Her findings here
September 16, 2014

Line In-Between Is a New Album That Plays the Noises of New York City

We've heard about people who move out of the city in search of a more quiet lifestyle, but then can't think or sleep due to the silence. Well, there's a new album that might be just what the doctor ordered for these sleep-deprived NYC expats. Line In-Between is an album recorded entirely from the noises of New York City, highlighting that sounds and music are interconnected. And what makes us love this project even more is that while the urban tunes roll, striking images of the city's architecture play along.
More details on the album here
September 15, 2014

Ben Shahn Murals and a Market? YoungWoo & Associates Tries Again at the Bronx General Post Office

The firm that once hoped to bring a Bronx market to the Kingsbridge Armory site may get their chance with another historic building in the borough. Last week it was announced that developer YoungWoo & Associates purchased the landmarked Bronx General Post Office building on the Grand Concourse and East 149th Street for an undisclosed sum.
What's in store for the building and its treasures?
September 14, 2014

Fall House Tour Roundup: From Victorian Homes to Industrial Lofts

Though spring is typically considered the height of house tour season, the fall months offer their own roster of open-door events. It pretty much goes without saying that we love peeking inside all kinds of homes, so we've rounded up here the best of the upcoming tours. From industrial Tribeca lofts to Victorian homes on the Delaware River, there's definitely something for every interior design lover.
All the events here
September 11, 2014

FriendsWithYou Light Cave Provides an Interactive Art Experience at the Standard High Line

If you're already making Oktoberfest plans to hit up the Standard, High Line's beer garden, you might want to think about imbibing a bit earlier, as the new Light Cave art installation is only on view until the end of September. Presented by FriendsWithYou and commissioned by the Standard Hotel and the Art Production Fund, this public art project "is a symbol of light and connectivity in an architectural form." The inflatable work, which evokes a prehistoric figure and a cavern, spans the entire outdoor plaza in front of the hotel and pulsates with energy and light, creating a sensory rich experience.
More on the fun installation here
September 10, 2014

For One Day Only, Tour 300 Acres of Freshkills Park

Freshkills Park is the largest landfill reclamation project of its kind in the world, and aside from a weekly public (but escorted) program, it remains a closed site during its massive transformation. Now, the park is ready to give New York inhabitants a better look at what's underway, letting visitors roam free across more than 300 acres of the 2,200 acre park on September 28th from 11AM-4PM. The event, which celebrates the New Springville Greenway, will be like no other, offering up a flurry of fun outdoor activities and music and, above all, a chance to experience the impressive infrastructural project as it moves forward.
More on the sneak 'peak' event here
September 5, 2014

Museum of the City of New York to Premiere Documentary “Rebuilding the World Trade Center”

In advance of the 13th anniversary of 9/11, the Museum of the City of New York will be premiering the documentary Rebuilding the World Trade Center. The 62-minute film features footage shot over the past eight years by artist Marcus Robinson, documenting the work at Ground Zero through the eyes of the construction workers, "from the site managers to those who dug the building’s foundations and the ironworkers who assembled its steel frames." The film will premier at the museum on the evening of Tuesday, September 9th and will be followed by a panel discussion with New York Times reporter James Glanz. It will then premier nationally on the History Channel on September 11th at 6 pm.
More on the documentary and upcoming event
September 3, 2014

Gunn Landscape Architecture to Design the Rooftop of Williamsburg’s Futuristic Level Hotel

Williamsburg's upcoming Level Hotel is right on track for its 2016 opening as construction continues moves full speed ahead at 55 Wythe Avenue. Back in July, architects Yohay Albo and Nick Liberis of Albo Liberis LLC were revealed as the brains behind the building's ultra modern form, and it's just been announced that Gunn Landscape Architecture will be taking charge of the expansive rooftop escape that will sit atop the retail pod of the futuristic hotel.
A look at the rooftop design here
September 3, 2014

Prodigy Network Closes on $85 Million FiDi Site for Their ‘Cotel’ Crowdfunded Hotel

Back in June, we took a look at the winning designs for Prodigy Network's 17John 'Cotel' (collaborative + hotel = cotel), the city's first crowdsourced hotel and the world's first collaborative hotel. Now, the real estate crowdfunding startup has closed on the 15-story rental building at 17 John Street for $85.3 million, $25 million of which came from crowdfunded equity. Additional financing came from Deutsche Bank and another institutional investor. The property will be transformed into a 23-story, 191-unit extended-stay hotel, designed for the next generation of business traveler.
More on the first-of-its-kind project in NYC
August 27, 2014

New Exhibition at the Skyscraper Museum Reveals Unrealized Times Square Designs

What's now a Disney Land-like mix of big-brand stores like M&M's and Hershey's, the televised location for Good Morning America, and home to everyone's favorite costumed characters, was once "the worst block in town." During the 1970's and 80's, Times Square was filled with peep shows and porn theaters and riddled with crime. In 1984, in an effort to build taller and reduce crime while preserving the frantic energy and cultural heritage of the area, a design competition was organized by the Municipal Art Society and the National Endowment for the Arts. The debate among architects, developers, and preservationists came after plans were revealed for four skyscrapers near the intersection of 42nd Street, Broadway, and Seventh Avenue. Now, a new exhibition at the downtown Skyscraper Museum will resurface the submissions from this design competition, exploring the history of Manhattan's most recognizable crossroads.
More about the fascinating new exhibit “Times Square, 1984: The Postmodern Moment”
August 20, 2014

Forget the Crayon Box: Scribble Pen Draws in 16 Million Colors

It's hard to even imagine 16 million colors, let alone draw in them, but the Scribble pen does just that. The first-of-its-kind creation, developed by the San Francisco-based startup Scribble Technology, scans colors and transfers them either to paper or a mobile device. See a paint hue you just love or want to capture the shade of a dress in a store window? Just tap your pen on the wall or object and, voila, you can draw in that color.
More about the new technology
August 18, 2014

Daily Link Fix: Mapping Jewish Literature in NYC; Make Your Way Through Derek Jeter’s Head Maze

A Detailed Map of Jewish Literature: Take an adventure through the city and schlep to these landmarks found in Jewish literatur. See the full map on Tablet. Google Street View With Sound: Because as if Google Street View isn’t creepy enough, one company decided to add sounds to certain scenes like pigeons flying overhead, street performers and babies […]

August 15, 2014

NYC Events 8/15: Run Free Down Park Avenue; Sip Cocktails with Architects or Party with Artists in Red Hook

Another summer weekend is upon us and we can't wait to get out the office and into the city. This weekend Manhattan's Summer Streets is back, and New Yorkers are invited to stroll (or bike) up and down Park Avenue, which will not only be closed to moving traffic, but jam packed with countless activities, music and food the whole way through. And if you decide to take this car-free jaunt, be sure to check out Ewerdt Hilgemann's sparkling sculptures along the pedestrian median. Once you've got your fair share if sunshine, head on over to the AIA NY's happy hour and mingle with architects and their fans. If art is more your thing, get to know Newark's public art community and their ideas over drinks at the NeWWalls mixer. And finally, for graffiti art and heady assemblages pay visits to the exhibitions at Tabla Rasa Gallery and Pioneer Works in Red Hook—the latter followed with a wild after party, of course.
More details on all the best events here