Most of the Open House New York sites that take reservations have filled up, but there are dozens upon dozens of sites that will be open to the public this weekend, no reservations required. We've gone through the OHNY guide to pull out the most interesting of those sites. Read on for our recommendations, a mix of new and old properties. Complete information about each site is available on the official OHNY website.
Via Verde
This building is a subsidized green (to the point of LEED Gold certification) housing development in the South Bronx, designed by Dattner Architects and Grimshaw. Times archicritic Michael Kimmelman loved it, describing it as handsome, healthy, and well-designed. The building will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Poe Park Visitor Center
The other Bronx site that might be worth a look this weekend is the Poe Park visitor center at 2640 Grand Concourse, designed by Toshiko Mori. The site also houses Edgar Allen Poe's last home, a wooden cottage that looks nothing whatsoever like the newish (finished in 2011) visitor center. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
BRIC Arts I Media House
Brooklyn arts groups recently cut the ribbon on BRIC House, a new 40,000-square-foot arts complex within the 1918 Strand Theater. The facility will be open between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with tours from the architect at 10:30 a.m. and noon on Saturday.
Unger Hansen Residence
At 154 Underhill Avenue in Prospect Heights stands an early 19th century landmarked townhouse that recently underwent a renovation. Now it is a nearly net-zero home. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, with tours given by the architect at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m..
TroutHouse
Speaking of eco-minded residences, the live-work building at 225 Troutman Street in Bushwick is also open for OHNY this year. The building includes a rainwater harvesting system and solar panel array, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Architect-led tours will be offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m..
Suchi Reddy Apartment
There are a number of private residences to choose from on this year's Manhattan OHNY, and one of the ones we're most looking forward to is this apartment at 45 Fifth Avenue. The 375-square-foot apartment has built-ins and a dining table that can be raised up via cable so it's out of the way when not in use. Open Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m..
Kushner Studios House
Known around here as the salad house, 16 Minetta Lane now belongs to architect Adam Kushner. (Kushner used to own a subway-themed penthouse on Barrow Street.) The architect is planning to add things like a rock climbing wall and hot tub to the house, and he'll be giving tours of the property at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. this Saturday. (The place will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..)
Berman Horne Studio Town House
Architects Maria Berman and Bradley Horn live and work at 461 West 153rd Street, so they use the house as "a testing ground for new design ideas and how to live respectfully within a historic structure." Sounds nifty! The home is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, with tours (for a maximum of 10 people) led by the architects every half hour.
Four Freedoms Park
If you haven't yet visited this now-open park on Roosevelt Island, it's open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 pm., with a tour (for a maximum of 20 people) at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The tour "will focus on the story behind the building and design of the Memorial."
TWA Flight Center
On Sunday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Jim Steven of JFK's Physical Plant and the Port Authority will answer questions about the five-year restoration of JFK's TWA Flight Center.
· Official site: OHNY Weekend [OHNY]
· Open House New York coverage [Curbed]