This weekend, October 15 & 16, 2011, is the 9th annual Open House New York Weekend, where locations around New York will open their doors for free tours. I’ve been attending OHNY since the very 1st year, and it really is one of the best events going on in New York.
With Open House New York, you can can get into places that would normally cost money (museums, concert halls, hotels) as well as sites not usually open to the public (private clubs, municipal structures, churches, schools). There are even house and office tours – including a few of the city’s architecture & design firms.
Some sites that look good this year include: tours of the Kings County Distillery, the lobby of the Chrysler Building, the Grand Lodge of Masons, The East Harlem School, the Farber Center for Radiation Oncology, Tillett Lighting Design Inc., Caples Jefferson Architects, and Moynihan Station. Of course, there are a ton more.
Check out a new neighborhood, take a guided or self-guided tour, and basically just explore NYC’s architecture and design in all five boroughs. The complete program listing is here. One of your librarians, Maggie Portis, will be volunteering for OHNY at the Nighthawk Cinema on Saturday from 10-12, so if you make that part of your itinerary, say hi! It also looks like NYSID has signed up to be a site this year, so if you haven’t visited the Graduate Center yet, it’s open on Saturday from 10-3.
