6sqft’s Must-See Recommendations for This Weekend’s Open House New York

This year’s Open House New York takes place this weekend on October 17th and 18th. A full roster of sites was revealed just over a week ago, and there is certainly plenty to see. But how will you prioritize? To help make planning your itinerary a bit easier, 6sqft has put together a list of recommendations for not-to-be-missed sites, from Google’s headquarters to a food factory tour at Industry City to the 1920s gilded Loew’s Kings Theatre.

Photo via Google Inc.

Google Inc. — Design & Workplace Tour ↑
Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (every hour on the hour)
Advance reservations required

Is it true that Google employees ride scooters through the workplace and have a free cereal bar? Find out in this exclusive tour of the company’s Chelsea offices. Visitors “will experience Micro-Kitchens, cafés, a game room, and Google workspaces with design features that support innovation. They will ride on one of the building’s original truck elevators and walk down “Stair J” which features a one-of-a-kind, fiber-optic light sculpture.”

New York by Gehry ↑
Saturday, October 17th, 1:00 p.m.
Advance reservations required

Starchitect Frank Gehry’s buildings are usually admired from the outside for their undulating metal facades. But now you get a chance to see what it’s like to live inside one of his masterpieces. This tour (which requires advance reservations) will take guests through New York by Gehry, aka 8 Spruce Street, to see how the architect translated his signature avant garde technology and sculptural forms into the firm’s first residential project.

Photos © Matt Lambros for After the Final Curtain

Kings Theatre ↑
Sunday, October 18th, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

After nearly four years of sitting vacant, the Kings Theatre in Flatbush, one of five Loew’s Wonder Theatres, reopened last summer in all of its 1920s gilded glory. Marvel at the impressive $70 million renovation, which restored its ornate plaster walls, gold coffered ceilings, wood paneling, rococo-style interior, and glazed terra-cotta ornamental facade

34th Street – Hudson Yards Subway Station ↑
Saturday, October 17th, 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Advance reservations required

Sure this is a public space, but OHNY is offering a unique tour where participants can hear from Xenobia Bailey, the artist behind the station’s amazing ceiling mosaic “Funktional Vibrations” (pictured above), as well as representatives from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the landscape architects who designed the adjacent and newly opened Hudson Park.

Brooklyn Grange ↑
Saturday, October 17th, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Get up close and personal with the world’s largest rooftop farm, which grows over 50,000 pounds of organic produce each year. Additionally, the folks behind the farm provide urban farming and green roof consulting worldwide and partner with many local nonprofits on programs.

Hancock Street Residence ↑
Sunday, October 18th, 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Advance reservations required

This Bed Stuy mansion is currently on the market for $6 million, the neighborhood’s most expensive single-family home, and now even non-house hunters can tour the interior. As 6sqft previously noted, “Designed by Montrose Morris and modeled after a Gilded Age Vanderbilt mansion along Fifth Avenue, this spectacular house known as ‘The Kelley Mansion’ was built for water meter magnate John Kelley in 1900. The mansion was a favorite hangout of Kelley’s pal President Grover Cleveland and has for the better part of its existence been affectionately referred to as the ‘Grand Dame’ of Hancock Street.”

Breuer’s Begrisch Hall, an official NYC landmark, on the Bronx Community College campus

Bronx Community College: Marcel Breuer Buildings ↑
Sunday, October 18th, 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Advance reservations required

There are several sites on the Bronx Community College campus participating in OHNY this year, but 6sqft is particularly excited about the Marcel Breuer buildings. Breuer, considered one of the masters of modernism and brutalism, is best known for designing the iconic Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue, but he also created a comprehensive redesign for NYU’s original campus (now the Bronx Community College), where five of his buildings still stand. In conjunction with DOCOMOMO, you’ll be able to tour several of these sites.

Photo via NYC DOT

DOT Traffic Management Center ↑
Saturday, October 17th, 11:00 a.m.
Advance reservations required

The Department of Transportation’s Traffic Management Center works 24/7 to monitor the city’s 12,500 traffic signals and 250 real-time traffic cameras and respond to any incidents. Get a behind-the-scenes look at New York’s traffic control system and how its technology works.

Photo via Industry City

Food Factory Friday: Industry City ↑
Friday, October 16th, 10:00am 10:25 a.m. 10:50am 1:30 p.m. 1:55 p.m. 2:20 p.m.
Advance reservations required

The former Bush Terminal on the Sunset Park waterfront is being transformed into Industry City, “a dynamic 21st century innovation and manufacturing community that balances existing manufacturing tenants with those centered on creative and innovation economy fields.” One of its main tenant groups is food factories (not surprising considering NYC’s ever-growing foodie culture), four of which will provide a glimpse into what OHNY calls “design’s hidden back end….machinery, systems, processes, workers, and workflows.” Guests will visit Colson Patisserie, Ends Meat, Blue Marble Ice Cream, and One Girl Cookies.

New York State Pavilion ↑
Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Philip Johnson’s iconic New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is one of the last remnants from the 1964-5 World’s Fair. After decades of neglect, the city is finally exploring preservation schemes for the structure, and just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Fair’s closing, OHNY is offering guests a rare peek behind the gates. Long lines are expected, so arrive early.

TWA Flight Center ↑
Sunday, October 18th, 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

As 6sqft reported yesterday, this is your last chance to get inside Eero Saarinen’s jet-age masterpiece before it’s redeveloped into a 505-room hotel. For one day only, New Yorkers get the very sought-after chance to go inside this structure for free, so we’d recommend beginning your day here.

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For sites requiring them, advance reservations will begin on October 7th at 11:00 a.m. And if you want to make the most of your time and get in as many stops as possible, enter our photo competition to win an OHNY Passport for you and a guest, which will allow you to bypass the lines all together. More details on how to enter HERE >>