It’s the time of year again for Open House New York! An annual celebration of the places that make New York Great.
What is Open House New York Weekend?
Open House New York Weekend (OPNY) is an annual festival that takes place every October. The 16th Annual Open House New York Weekend will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 12, 13 and 14, 2018. OPNY is a citywide celebration of architecture, urban design, and New York City. More than 250 buildings and projects across New York’s five boroughs – from infrastructure facilities to cultural spaces and from workspaces to private residences – open their doors to the public for tours and talks with architects, urban designers, historians, preservationists, and city leaders.
This year, OPNY is partnering with Made in NYC to open more than a dozen factories, giving you a glimpse of how New York City’s makers produce everything from silk flowers to structural steel to distilled spirits.
The festival has locations across the five boroughs! See below for our favorite Uptown Picks – and visit their website for the complete list
Morris- Jumel Mansion, built as a country retreat, George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War (during the Battle of Harlem Heights), and consequently the site of the very first Cabinet dinner which included: President George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Knox (and their wives). A great place to soak up history and visit our Country’s not so distant past. OPNY provides open access to the Mansion on Saturday October 13, and Sunday October 14. Learn more HERE.
#WashingtonHeights
The Bartow-Pell Mansion in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, has a long and interesting history, including the initial purchase of the land by Thomas Pell from the Siwanoy Indians. Although originally purchased as nearly 9,000-acre tract (approximately a third of the entire borough of the Bronx) the estate was reduced to 220 acres by the end of the Revolutionary War. The land was re-purchased again by a Pell descendant, Robert Bartow, who built the present Federeal Style stone Mansion with Greek Revival interiors. The house was aquired to preserve the mansion from decay and promote horticultural knowledge.
OPNY provides complimentary admission during the weekend, and tours will be available. For more information, click HERE.
#TheBronx
OPNY gives us a peek into a former FIREHOUSE! now renovated as a vibrant new home to the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) for global afro-descendent cultural programming.
A multi-disciplinary center based in East Harlem, New York City, CCCADI integrates art, education, activism and conscious cultural tourism to foster social transformation. They partner with other community organizations, as well as host SouSou Saturdays – a family friendly event held every second Saturday! Their new home is the reuse of a building that was originally constructed as a firehouse in 1889.
Open access is only available on Saturday October 13 – for more information, visit OPNY’s site HERE.
#EastHarlem
The Cathedral is an active house of workshop, arts, cultural, an civic center as well as a feat of human engineering. Despite incomplete construction it is the largest cathedral in the word and feature Byzantine-Romanesque, and neo-gothic architecture. The Cathedral spurred the growth of Morningside Heights into becoming one of Manhattan’s most unique neighborhoods. Visit the Cathedral on Saturday and Sunday, and learn more HERE.
#MorningsideHeights
OPNY hosts so many great adventures for the entire family to enjoy. A chance to see spaces that are often restricted and private. To learn more about the organization, as well as view the full list of over 250 sites across the 5 boroughs that are available, view their website here.
