What to See at Archtober 2015
By Joseph Avery
Bring on Archtober 2015. New York’s annual Architecture and Design Month, now in its fifth year, is a celebration of all things architectural. Running October 1 through October 31, this year’s festival features over 150 events, from lectures to activities to exhibitions. Out of this bounty of offerings, we’ve selected a few events that are sure to please, along with a few tips for making the most of Archtober 2015 in New York City.
Make your first stop the Archtober Lounge or the brand-new Archtober Hall, located at the Center for Architecture (536 LaGuardia Place) and the South Street Seaport Culture District (159 John Street) respectively. These are your hubs for all things Archtober. Pick up guides and program information, have a look around, and circle a couple of dates for the month.
Archtober is probably best known for its informative and innovative “Building of the Day” series. The program fêtes NYC’s contemporary and iconic architecture with on-site tours led by architects. On Thursday, October 1st, do not miss the tour of the Collaborative Research Center at The Rockefeller University. If you’re unfamiliar with the institution itself, it’s a world leader in biomedical research, centered at adjacent halls that were built in 1917 and 1930. In 2005, the halls were completely renovated and reconfigured, and close to a third of the laboratory space was replaced. The result is astonishing: a rare confederacy of the stately aged and the fluidly modern, of efficiency and aesthetics—open space for cloistered scientific labors.
On Saturday, October 3rd and Sunday the 4th, trek to the outer boroughs. You might not think that Bronx Community College is worth a visit, but that thought will change. At dusk, stand on the lawn facing the North Hall and Library, and you’ll think you’ve been painted into a De Chirico.
On Sunday, Joan Krevlin, a Partner at BKSK Architects, and Patty Kleinberg, former deputy director of the Queens Botanical Garden and its current Garden Educator, lead a tour of the Botanical Garden’s new Visitor and Administration Building. Sounding a pianissimo note, the building complements the gardens, and never more so than in its provision of a rain-induced waterfall.
Anytime during the month, visit the Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian’s design museum. Located on Fifth Avenue, just a few blocks uptown of the Guggenheim, the museum presents 14 West and Central African textiles, selected by esteemed British architect David Adjaye.
On Wednesday, October 7, TEN Arquitectos leads a tour of the Mercedes House, which may well be the most stunning New York structure you’ve never seen. Located in the west 50s, this mixed-use building, which includes 20 percent inclusionary housing, both climbs and turns, atavistic to the point of resembling Machu Picchu.
The following day, Thursday, October 8, thread collective LLC presents a first-ever for NYC affordable housing: a farm. The 1-acre Red Hook West Urban Farm provides fresh produce for the community, but its worth is amplified in that it provides education and community engagement for residents.
Image: Ed Lederman
Despite initial kvetching and controversy, the Flatiron Building (1902) has become an avatar of Manhattan skyscrapers. At the least, it makes monolithic newcomer 432 Park look like an overturned toaster oven. The Renzo Piano-designed Whitney Museum (2015) is quickly becoming something of a museum paragon. Unlike the Flatiron, much of the Whitney’s charm must be seen inside. Airy gallery rooms give way to long, leather benches. In a stairwell you may be overcome with white sunlight, both direct and reflecting. Chance a balcony—and there are many—and the Hudson will greet you with a zephyr: Jersey beyond. In the new Whitney, patrons are both of the city and oddly isolate. It is the species of isolation that yields, in its way, more reflection than despair: Edward Hopper would be proud. You can tour the Flatiron on Wednesday the 14th and the Whitney on the following Tuesday, the 20th.
As grand as One World Trade Center is, durative New Yorkers can’t help but notice an absence downtown. Grief, as the psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz has argued, does not warrant shame by its permanence. Only one building was commissioned for the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion, and the commission went to SNØHETTA. There is an undeniable numinosity to the space, and the effect is not coincidental. The tour begins at 6pm on Tuesday, October 27.
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