Open House New York 2019: Day Two Recap
Open House New York weekend was such a busy weekend of sightseeing, I had to split up the recap into two posts! If you are interested in reading about how we spent day one of Open House New York, or learning about what Open House New York actually is, be sure to read my full recap of day one. If you’ve already read the day one recap post then I’m sure you’re excited to learn more about the interesting sites we saw on day two, so let’s jump into it!
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Day 2: Lower East Side
Henry Street Settlement (265 Henry Street)
Day two of our Open House New York weekend began at the Henry Street Settlement. Founded in 1893 by Lillian Wald, the Henry Street Settlement was established to provide health, education, and social services to the underprivileged tenants of the Lower East Side.
Historically, nurses lived at the settlement house and performed house calls around the neighborhood. Over the years, the Henry Street Settlement expanded the social services it provided to the community, from opening one of New York City’s first public playgrounds in 1902 to starting a music school in 1927.
Today, the Henry Street Settlement continues to service the community through visual and performing arts programs, affordable health clinics, and youth sports and recreation activities. As part of our visit we received a tour of their small museum and the original settlement house building. On the tour we saw the backyard which was once a playground for neighborhood children and the bedrooms where the nurses slept.
The tour of the building was an Open House New York exclusive, and required purchasing tickets in advance (more on this later!). The “House on Henry Street” exhibit is open to the public Monday through Friday, and is also available online!
If you plan to visit the Lower East Side, consider adding the Henry Street Settlement to your agenda to round out your knowledge of the immigrant experience in New York City.
Bullet Space (292 E 3rd St)
Were they squatters or homesteaders? You decide when you visit Bullet Space, one of the first squatter settlements to be legalized in New York City. Founded in 1985 when squatters took over this 19th century tenement house, today Bullet Space is an art gallery as well as a residence. The name comes from the idea of using art as “bullets,” or waging war through art.
The original tenants, many of whom still live in the building, fought the city for their rights to occupy the building using the United States’ homestead laws to support their claims. They ultimately won their case and purchased the abandoned building from the city for $1.
Today, the legacy of making art to send a message lives on, with local and visiting artists displaying works addressing climate change, political leaders, and more. As part of your visit, you can see the main gallery, the backyard where the tenants once performed an archaeological dig, and the basement which contains artwork and home items from across the years, as well as the findings from the archaeological dig.
The gallery is open weekends from 1-6 pm, by appointment, or, as the website states, “by chance.” As part of the Open House New York weekend, we were able to take a tour of the gallery and basement, given by one of the original tenants.
This was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the New York City squatter movement of the 1980s from someone who lived it. As a HUGE fan of the Broadway musical RENT, I was especially fascinated by the history of NYC’s squatter movement, and happy that Open House New York gave me an opportunity to learn more about the artists and their history.
New York City Marble Cemetery (60 E 2nd St)
The New York City Marble Cemetery (not to be confused with the New York Marble Cemetery, below) was founded in 1831 by a group of wealthy New Yorkers. The cemetery contains 258 vaults housing the final remains of some of New York’s important families. In fact, President James Monroe was buried in this cemetery from 1831 to 1858.
No one knows just how many people are buried within the vaults — vaults can hold the remains of multiple people and early burial records for the cemetery were destroyed. Some of the vaults are still empty, while others contain entire families. The vaults are ten feet below ground and can only be accessed by removing a large granite slab covering the entrance to the vault, which is buried underneath the lawn.
Today, you can be buried in the NYC Marble Cemetery if you are a descendant of a vault owner or if you have permission from one. Since 2010, there have been five burials performed at the cemetery.
The cemetery is not generally open to the public, so it was fortunate we got a chance to go during the Open House New York weekend. To learn more about the NYC Marble Cemetery and the individuals interred within its grounds, take a look at their website.
New York Marble Cemetery (41 ½ 2nd Ave)
Our final stop on day two of the Open House New York weekend was the New York Marble Cemetery. If you are as confused as I was about why these cemeteries share practically the same name, then let me explain.
The two cemeteries were built by the same man, Perkins Nichols, one year apart from each other (NY Marble Cemetery in 1830, and NYC Marble Cemetery in 1831). The creation of these cemeteries corresponded with the first cholera outbreak in the United States. At this time, the general belief was that lining burial vaults with marble, which is close grained and dense, would prevent harmful cholera vapors from seeping out and infecting the living. As a result, the vaults in the cemeteries are made of solid marble and the moniker of “Marble Cemetery” given to both!
Aside from the (very minor) name difference, the New York Marble Cemetery differs from the New York City Marble Cemetery through an absence of grave markers. In fact, the New York Marble Cemetery doesn’t look anything like a cemetery, and has an appearance similar to a walled park or green space. By design, the cemetery never contained any grave markers. The only identifiers for the individuals interred there are the marble plaques lining the north and south walls of the cemetery.
Approximately 2,100 individuals are interred in the vaults of the New York Marble Cemetery, and the most recent interment occurred in 1937. Similar to the NYC Marble Cemetery, descendents of the original vault owners are considered the current owners of the vaults, and may be laid to rest in the vaults if they wish.
If you wish to visit the New York Marble Cemetery, then you’re in luck, because the cemetery is open to the public on select dates between April and October, or by special request. You can also rent the cemetery for a private event and it happens to be a popular wedding location (to each their own!). For more information on visiting the New York Marble Cemetery, its history, or to take a virtual tour, visit their website.
If you are interested, here is a map of our route on day 2 of Open House New York:
Final Thoughts
This wraps up our Open House New York weekend experience, which sure was epic! We learned so much about the history of New York City, about the people who have shaped it, and about the physical manifestations they have left behind. This event is a must for anyone living in or visiting New York City in October. Dates for next year have already been announced, and you better believe it’s on my calendar!
Mark your calendars for October 16-18, 2020 for the 19th annual Open House New York event!
Until Next Time,
Tamar