Open House New York 2019: Day One Recap
Every year for one weekend only, important buildings across New York City open their doors to the public during Open House New York (OHNY). I first wrote about OHNY in my post 9 Reasons to Visit NYC in the Fall and was really excited to participate in the event this year.
During the Open House New York weekend, government buildings, architectural firms, historic sites, and more open their doors, offering special tours and one-of-a-kind access. Most of these spaces are normally off-limits to the general public, while some are open for extra hours or offer free admission over the weekend. Open House New York is a celebration of New York’s architecture and design, and this year 283 sites participated.
We spent the entire weekend visiting sites around the city and saw some amazing things we would not have normally. We saw so much, in fact, that I’m splitting our weekend itineraries into two posts!
On day one we focused on sites in Lower Manhattan and TriBeCa. Day two was spent on the Lower East Side, Alphabet City, and the East Village. Over the course of the weekend we saw civic buildings, historic sites, art galleries, and cemeteries, and that’s only scratching the surface! Read on for our itinerary and some interesting places you may not have known about in New York City, and stay tuned for a day 2 follow-up post!
Please note this post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my Privacy Policy for more information.
Day One: Lower Manhattan and TriBeCa
Surrogate’s Courthouse (The Hall of Records) 31 Chambers St
The first stop on our Open House New York weekend was Surrogate’s Court House, which was built in 1907 to house the city’s records. When you enter the building, you will marvel at the atrium with its beautiful marble interior (inspired by the Paris Opera) complete with a grand marble staircase.
This year the Hall of Records offered two exhibits for visitors. The first was a collection of architectural designs for Central Park. Illustrations of details such as the tile work of Bethesda Terrace and stonework on Belvedere Castle were laid out for visitors to browse. The exhibit even contained drafts for buildings that were proposed but never built, such as a paleontology park for children to hunt for “dinosaur bones.”
The second exhibit highlighted the personal stories of immigrants in New York City. By using oral histories gathered by the Brooklyn College Listening Project and multimedia displays, the exhibit documented the experiences of the city’s diverse immigrant population and the challenges they face adjusting to life in their new home country.
If you’re visiting New York sometime besides Open House New York weekend, the Hall of Records and its collections are open to the public on Saturdays between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm. Alternately, you can also browse their collection of images remotely by going to this site.
Manhattan Borough President’s Office (1 Centre St, North Entrance)
Our next stop over the OHNY weekend was the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, which houses the city’s map collections. The inside of the building has the drab look of a typical government building, but interestingly it was the first building in New York to incorporate a subway station. The marque attraction here was the complete set of the 92 Randel Farm maps, a set of 92 watercolor maps drafted by John Randel, Jr. between 1811 and 1820.
The Randel Farm maps are only ever displayed as a complete set during Open House New York weekend. They show the urban plan to transition Manhattan from predominantly farmland owned by private citizens to the bustling city it is today. The map even shows the property lines for the individual farms (along with who owned them) overlayed by the grid of streets, the majority of which were mapped as the appear today. One key difference is the area that is current day Central Park, which was not a part of the original design and added later in the century.
If you are interested in urban planning and would like to see some of the maps from the Manhattan borough president’s map room, they are currently launching a beta-site to display their electronic records. You can also see digital versions of the Randel Farm maps.
City Hall (Entrance on Broadway at Murray Street)
A short walk from Surrogate’s Courthouse and the Manhattan Borough President’s office will take you to City Hall. New York’s City Hall was built in 1812 and at the time was one of the tallest buildings in the city. Inside the building entrance is a stunning rotunda with a coffered dome and marble staircase.
After admiring the dome and marveling at the seemingly floating staircase, head upstairs to the Governor’s Room. Inside, you will find paintings and artifacts celebrating New York’s civic history. Also on display in the Governor’s Room is City Hall’s portrait collection, which includes paintings of US presidents, former New York State governors, and past mayors.
The second room you can enter during your visit to City Hall is the City Council Chamber, where the City Council holds ceremonies and public meetings. The chambers have a beautiful ceiling mural by Taber Sears depicting a woman (representing New York City) leading a young boy up a staircase towards allegorical figures of prosperity, civilization, agriculture, and wisdom. Make sure to take a look around the room and find your City Council member’s seat (we found ours right away!).
While you cannot tour any other rooms in City Hall, the building contains many more secrets. For instance, the basement was once used to store wine and beer, and formerly contained a jail and a marriage chapel!
African Burial Ground National Monument (290 Broadway)
You may bury me in the bottom of Manhattan. I will rise. My people will get me. I will rise out of the huts of history’s shame.
Maya Angelou, 2003
The African burial ground is a National Monument located in Lower Manhattan and the site of the largest excavated burial ground of both free and enslaved Africans in North America. While the site is open on a regular basis, Open House New York weekend gave us the opportunity to take a special ranger-led tour of the monument.
To enter the monument, you first walk through a dark, cramped structure which evokes the feeling of entering a slave ship. You can hear the rush of water around you as you step towards the light and walk down into the heart of the monument. When standing on the lower monument level, you are six feet below street level — the same level as the bodies once buried in this spot.
This sacred spot is a powerful reminder of the centuries of European exploitation of Africans, the repercussions of which are still felt in our society today. This monument deserves its own post, and we intend to return and truly do this site justice.
Mmuseumm (4 Cortlandt Alley)
Next stop on our grand tour was a visit to the Mmuseumm, New York’s smallest museum. The Mmuseumm is located inside a former freight elevator, and their mission is to tell human stories through everyday objects.
For such a small museum, the collection was surprisingly interesting and powerful. The tiny freight elevator was lined with shelves, each row exhibiting objects by theme. During our visit, there were exhibits on fake American food franchises in Iran, ISIS currencies, and objects men were carrying when they were shot dead by police officers.
The exhibit I found most powerful was a series of last meal receipts from death row inmates in Georgia. I was struck by how simple the meal requests were, such as hamburgers or cheese steaks from local fast food chains. My expectation was that, for a last meal on earth, someone would want something expensive and lavish. In contrast, these individuals wanted comfort foods they hadn’t tasted in years. I found this very humanizing and an interesting glimpse into the psyche of knowing your death is imminent.
The Mmueseumm was an incredibly interesting stop on day one of our Open House New York weekend, and I would consider going back if I was in the area. The exhibits were small and simple, yet powerful and thought provoking. I recommend it as a stop for anyone visiting New York and spending a day in lower Manhattan.
AT&T Long Distance Lobby (32 6th Ave)
Open House New York is a celebration of the city’s architecture, so it’s only fitting that our next stop was the AT&T Long Distance Building whose lobby contains beautiful mosaic murals designed by Hildreth Meiere.
The building lobby is open to the public year round, 24/7, but the highlight of visiting during Open House New York weekend was the opportunity to take a tour led by Meiere’s great-granddaughter.
Hildreth Meiere was a prominent 20th century artist who specialized in murals of the Art Deco style. Her work can be seen throughout New York City at Radio City Music Hall, Temple Emanu-El and St. Patrick’s Cathedral to name a few.
The AT&T Building building was once the epi-center of telecommunication and the connecting point for thousands of miles of cables which still span the world. To represent the importance of this building as the center of world connectivity, Meiere’s murals contain allegorical representations of the world’s continents connected to each other and two central figures by gilded telephone cables.
In 1991 the building lobby was designated an interior landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee, making it only one of 120 interior landmarks across the five boroughs. Entrance to the lobby is always free and always open to the public, so make sure to pop-in next time you’re in the neighborhood!
Marvel Architects (145 Hudson St, 3rd floor)
As I said before, Open House New York is a celebration of New York’s architecture, so of course the city’s architecture firms are involved! During the Open House weekend, many architecture firms welcome the public to view displays of past and future projects and to mingle with their architects.
For our OHNY experience, we visited Marvel Architects in TriBeCa. Marvel Architects is an international firm whose architects design everything from landscapes to interiors to urban projects. Walking around the office was a great experience — we loved seeing the many building models and drafting tables. We also had the opportunity to speak with one of the architects, who told us a little about their ongoing projects and what it’s like to be an architect.
It would have been fun to visit more than one architectural firm and compare them to each other, but given the number of interesting places to see during Open House New York, one was enough for this year.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter LILAC (229 West St)
The last stop for day one of our Open House New York itinerary was the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter LILAC. This cutter, first launched in 1933, is the oldest, most intact lighthouse tender in the country. While I have had better tours of lighthouse boats in New York (such as the Lightship AMBROSE at the South Street Seaport Museum), this boat is unique as it is the only remaining steam-powered lighthouse tender.
The boat is owned and maintained by the Lilac Preservation Project. Admission is free, but consider making a donation to support their efforts to renovate and restore the Lilac.
Map of our route:
Final Thoughts
While Open House New York is only one weekend a year, many of these sites are open to visitors year-round! So, whether you live in New York City or are just visiting, consider adding one or more of these places to your itinerary and see something a little off the main tourist circuit.
On another note, dates for next year’s Open House New York have already been announced, so mark your calendars for October 16-18, 2020, and check back soon for a recap of our day two itinerary for Open House New York weekend!
Until Next Time,
Tamar