Field Trip Friday: Theatre for a New Audience

December 21, 2012 Field Trip Friday , , , , ,

A few weeks ago, intern Elis and the OHNY Staff visited the construction site of the future home for Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Designed by renowned architect Hugh Hardy and being built by Sciame Construction, the building is at once simple yet elegant, and dynamic, yet intimate. A LEED certified building with a 35-foot high space and reconfigurable stage, TFANA’s new home is sure to be a new theatre for the modern audience.

Founded in 1979 by Jeffrey Horowitz, Theatre for a New Audience is a New York City performing arts organization devoted to the vitalization and study of Shakespeare and classic drama. Its move to Fort Greene is doubly exciting for TFANA, not only because it will become a part of the BAM Cultural District, but also because it will be the organization’s first permanent home.

Formerly a parking lot, the site is quickly on its way to becoming a stunning LEED certified, 27,500-square-foot building. Exterior green features, include triple glazed windows on its front façade, and rain screens on the building’s side and rear.

TFANA’s glass front and open lobby will create an engaging space on multiple levels. While inside, visitors will be able to gaze out onto the bustling neighborhood without ever feeling closed in. Interior design features also include cantilever balconies anchored only at one end, which enhances and further opens up the space. These over hanging balconies, made possible by receded H-frame columns, make it so visitors on the highest balcony never feel disconnected from visitors in the lower lobby, creating a feeling of intimacy.

TFANA’s auditorium is designed for equality, enabling a more dynamic use for the space. With a deep trapdoor and 35-foot ceiling (twice the height of off-Broadway theatres), the stage will certainly allow for surprising entrances from above and below. Depending on the production, stage and orchestra level seating can be rearranged into four different configurations – proscenium, thrust, runway, or in the round. Each set-up will provide a different level of interaction with the audience. Behind the mainstage will also be an additional space that when opened, can be used to increase stage depth. When closed, the space can be used for performances and rehearsals.

Three levels of seating galleries wrap around the orchestra, but a sense of intimacy is never lost. Even from the highest level, the stage never feels far away. Inspired by the British Royal National Theatre’s Cottlesloe Theatre, TFANA’s adaptable space explores what a theatre can be.

Theatre for a New Audience’s ribbon cutting and first performance will take place in October 2013.

Our thanks to Anthony Frontino from Sciame Construction and David Haakenson, project architect at H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture for providing this tour for us. We look forward to a return visit when the theatre is completed!

262 Ashland Place
Fort Greene, Brooklyn

 

Renderings credit: H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture
Photo credit: Elis Shin

 

 

Field Trip Friday: Jefferson Market Library Tower

December 14, 2012 Field Trip Friday , , , , ,

On October 6th, during the 2012 OHNY Weekend, OHNY intern Elis got to climb 149 steps to the top of the Jefferson Market Library Tower. Designed by Frederick Clarke Withers and Calvert Vaux, this Venetian Gothic tower, provides unparalleled 360° views of Greenwich Village. The tower, usually closed to the public, was an exclusive OHNY Weekend site this year.

I think the first time I noticed the Jefferson Market Library was on my first Halloween night in New York City in 2009. I had walked to Sixth Avenue for the Halloween Parade, and remember looking up to see a giant, castle-like building almost entirely encased in scaffolding. I remember thinking that the scaffolding looked like the building’s had its own dark and ominous Halloween costume on. But what really captured my attention that night, was a giant white spider climbing up and down the wall of the 172-foot tower. I later learned that the spider, puppeteered by Basil Twist and his team since 1995, is a regular Halloween Parade fixture. I eagerly looked forward to the performance again the next year, and was disappointed when the spider did not make an appearance due to continuing renovations on the clock tower.

Since late last year, I have once again been watching the Jefferson Market Library, but not for the spider. With renovations finally completed, the scaffolding slowly began to be removed. Exposed once again, is the incredible Victorian Gothic building once voted in the 1880s to be one of the ten most beautiful buildings in America by a poll of architects.

Built between 1875 and 1877, the building opened not in its present form as library, but as a courthouse with civil and police courts, court offices, jails and a prison. Some of the most notorious local trials were held here, including Harry K. Thaw’s 1906 trial for the murder of architect Stanford White (of firm McKim, Mead and White) and the 1909 trials of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory workers who had gone on strike over poor working conditions. The four faced clock tower at the corner of 10th Street and Sixth Avenue was also part of the original building.  Local fire watchers once stood on its balcony and rang a large bell in the tower to call volunteer firemen.

In 1945 due to redistricting, court cases stopped being held at Jefferson Market. Ownership switched hands several times, and the Police Academy the last tenants of that time, are said to have used it for riot training before abandoning the building in 1958. An Art Deco women’s detention center stood behind the courthouse for most of the 1900s. It was demolished in 1973, and converted by local residents into a small community garden. The Jefferson Market Garden can still be found there today, and in the spring is a great place for a quiet respite.

Jefferson Market was set to be demolished in 1959, but local village residents including E.E. Cummings and Lewis Mumford rallied behind Margot Gayle to save the building. They did so successfully and in 1961 Mayor Robert F. Wagner announced that the building would be converted into a public library. This adaptive reuse effort was undertaken by Giorgio Cavagelieri, the architect known for converting the Astor Library on Lafayette Street, into the Public Theater.

Climbing the Jefferson Market Library tower requires going up a series of narrow and winding spiral steps (climb too fast and you risk getting vertigo!). After 149 steps to the fire watcher’s balcony, the view at the top was quite impressive. Unlike popular lookout spaces in New York City, there are no sweeping views of massive Central Park or the city’s many skyscrapers. What visitors do see, is an intimate birds-eye view of the West Village and its low buildings, the Hudson River, and the Freedom Tower. From the top of the tower, I was able to spot Bell, Book & Candle’s aeroponic roof garden, shops and restaurants I regularly visit, and other great local gems.

On my way up, I came upon the old fire watcher’s bell, and to my utmost delight, the giant spider, which sleeps in the tower during the year and comes out on Halloween. This year was the first time since 2009 that the spider would make an appearance. However, due to Hurricane Sandy, the spider will continue its long sleep for one more year.

The library is open to visitors Mondays through Thursdays, but the tower is closed to the public, except when it opens its little door during OHNY Weekend. If you missed it this year, don’t miss the opportunity if it’s available next year. Brave the line, climb the steps, say hi to the spider on your way up, and take in this rare view of the Village.

 

Jefferson Market Library

425 Avenue of the Americas (at 10th Street)
New York, NY

 

Photo Credit: Gilbert Rodriguez, Nicolas Lesmery Nantel, and Elis Shin

Dorothy Dunn is OHNY

December 14, 2012 I AM OHNY ,

 

Dorothy Dunn
OHNY Board Member
Lives in Dobb Ferry, NY

1. Are you a native New Yorker? If not, when and why did you move here?

I come from the Midwest and grew up on a farm in Illinois. It’s in the middle of nowhere, wonderfully so, in a little town called Paris, IL. My family moved from Chicago to the country as part of the “back to the land movement.” The farm will be 200 years old in a few years and is the oldest farm in the state.

I moved to New York in 1989 to work in the education department at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. My whole portal to New York City was through the architecture and design community.

2. Do you have a favorite place/neighborhood in the city?

I don’t have a favorite. I love it all! I will never stop feeling like an explorer in New York. Even in a neighborhood I think I know I’ll see something new all the time. Things like the High Line change your view of a neighborhood. It was something we saw structurally for years and now we see that whole neighborhood anew.

3. What does OHNY mean to you? 

When Scott Lauer, the founder of OHNY, first shared his idea with me it was just after 9/11. At that time, I, like many others, was sad to see the city become a bunker, security being on the top of everyone’s mind rather than what’s exciting and dynamic about the city. This wonderful, young architect had this idea of turning the city inside out and inviting everyone in. It was like a big hug for the community.

4. Why is OHNY important to New York City?

I’ve worked for years in design education and I know that there’s a language that designers and architects speak. Often, if you don’t know that language, you don’t feel like you are welcome. OHNY has put architecture and design forward without the architects-speak. I don’t know another organization that represents architecture and design that has been so open and inclusive, not only in regards to the participants but also to the spaces themselves, so anyone could share any space and it would be embraced. In that sense, OHNY has been a great community builder.

5. How and when did you first learn about OHNY?

I learned about it before it even existed. I was director of education at Cooper-Hewitt and Scott Lauer was knocking on doors to get responses about starting OHNY. We connected and I was very inspired by his vision.

6. What has been your favorite OHNY site or program?

The OHNY Weekend itself is remarkable, almost overwhelming. During this year’s OHNY Weekend, my husband and I had one of the best “date days” we have had in a long time. We visited Flushing in Queens, a neighborhood that neither of us knew at all. It was absolutely enlightening. It made me so happy to get to know that neighborhood and explore.

7. If OHNY could grant you a New York City all-access pass, where would you go first?

When people visit New York City, I tell them to go as high up as you can and look down, go underneath the city and appreciate how much of the city is underground and get out on the water and look in on the city to see that this small island is surrounded by a much larger region. That’s where I would start.

8. Who is your favorite architect/designer/artist in the city?

I love them all and I’m inspired by all of them. I’ve been so honored and lucky to shape a career that allows me to work with artists and architects and designers, not being one myself. My career has been in museums but I’ve been fortunate to see and appreciate the world through the point of view of architecture and design.

9. It goes without saying that we all love New York City. What do you find most inspiring about the city?

It’s the daily journey, the constant sense of exploration and discovery. New York is an adventure. That, and the people who I share it with are most inspirational to me.

10. In one sentence, why should people support OHNY? 

People should support OHNY because it is an extremely generous and democratic organization that turns the city inside out and invites everyone to share in the experience and discovery.

Thanks, Dorothy!

Sara Caples & Everardo Jefferson are OHNY

December 12, 2012 I AM OHNY , , ,

 

Sara Caples & Everardo Jefferson
Principals at Caples Jefferson Architects
OHNY Site Sponsors
Live in Turtle Bay, Manhattan

1. Are you a native New Yorker? If not, when and why did you move here?

EJ: I was born in Panama and moved to the South Bronx in 1959. My mother decided to emigrate to the U.S. for the educational opportunities for her children.

SC: So you’ve been native since then?

EJ: Yes, I’ve gone native.

SC: I’m a service brat and I moved all around. I moved to New York when I was just shy of 30 and I’ve gone native since, too. I love it here. It’s an embracing city. I moved here to be with Everardo. We were already dating so he was my anchor. I had lived in Paris, so I loved big cities, and I already loved New York.

2. Do you have a favorite place/neighborhood in the city?

SC: For me, I don’t actually have a favorite. The joy of New York is that I never stop discovering new neighborhoods and new places. The city contains the whole world, and you keep on having these fantastic experiences, especially as we work in all five boroughs.

EJ: The discovery thing is more pronounced than I ever thought. Queens for example, is just another world of marvelous things. Brooklyn and the Bronx – it’s just endless.

3. What does OHNY mean to you? 

SC: OHNY is something near and dear to my heart. I am a passionate lover of architecture and I absolutely love that OHNY opens up the dialogue between the general public and the built environment. Visiting buildings, visiting people who make buildings, opening New York’s hidden treasures–OHNY is all of that. The organization is constantly thinking of new ways of introducing people to buildings.

4. Why is OHNY important to New York City? 

SC: It is important because it reveals the richness of New York and engages people who care about the physical fabric of the city. From my perspective as an architect, the more educated the public is and the more they understand architecture, the better our city will become.

EJ: We all love the art of discovery and OHNY lets us all explore our own city.

5. How and when did you first learn about OHNY?

SC: I think it was through an email or an article, I can’t remember. But, the first time I read about it, I had an “Ah ha!” moment. What a fabulous and ingenious way of engaging people through architecture.

EJ: And it was fun, no?

SC: Yeah, it was fun. Buildings should be fun! Making buildings is fun.

6. What has been your favorite OHNY site or program? 

SC: The one that is special to me personally is the program with Brooklyn Grange, the rooftop farm in our building. We helped connect OHNY with the farm when we first moved into our Long Island City location. It was an ideal opportunity to highlight new, green ways of using buildings through a unique evening program of food made with the produce from the farm.

EJ: Another experience that I remember is the tour of the Chrysler Building, which I found fascinating. I now see that building in a different light.

7. If OHNY could grant you a New York City all-access pass, where would you go first?

SC: I would start with some neighborhood that I have never been to and have somehow missed.

EJ: There are so many places! It’s hard to answer that question but I would start with some magical discoveries I’ve had, such as a 19th-century synagogue in East New York, Brooklyn. I stumbled upon it and couldn’t get in. Or a McKim, Mead & White building that you can’t get into. A secret floor, a hidden room – I want a surprise!

8. Who is your favorite architect/designer/artist in the city?

SC: I think one of the exciting things about the city is that there are literally dozens of favorite designers for me. There’s a whole catalog. Whether its Milton Glaser’s graphic design work or walking along the High Line and seeing this exceptional example of architecture mixed with landscape design. Such boldness!

EJ: There are younger and older architects I admire. I love to see different kinds of work, such as Steven Holl and Robert A. M. Stern. Then there are also younger designers with so much talent. Its fun to go see their work and say, “Gee, why didn’t I think of that?”

SC: Another favorite of mine is Paul Rudolph. I once visited his Modulightor apartment. It was crammed with people as though they were there for a party. The intimacy of that environment and the detail unfolding wherever you turned was exceptional.

EJ: And you realize how passionate the man was. Way more passionate than most of us will ever be.

9. It goes without saying that we all love New York City. What do you find most inspiring about the city?

SC: New York has this relentless, unforgiving quality about it that I find inspiring. By that I mean there is so much competition of thought and talent that you’re forced to think at your highest level. There’s a sense of impatience and insistence that is constantly pushing you to be your best.

EJ: I find the variety of people inspiring because when I was growing up, it wasn’t like this. Now there’s so much energy flowing from different cultures. When I go to other cities I don’t feel that same energy.

10. In one sentence, why should people support OHNY? 

EJ: The reason is self-evident! OHNY provides the means to explore the city in a way that would not be possible if it did not exist.

SC: OHNY allows us to pool our collective knowledge of the city into one major yearly event. It is part of what makes New York City so vibrant.

Thanks, Sara and Everardo!

Bob Baker is OHNY

December 10, 2012 I AM OHNY ,

 

Bob Baker
OHNY Participant & Supporter
Lives in Swampscott, MA

1. Are you a native New Yorker? If not, when and why did you move here? I’m a wannabe New Yorker. I grew up in Binghamton, NY and always found it exciting as a kid to see the train in my town coming or going to New York.  I also had a New York Times Sunday route and listened to WNEW Radio to follow news from the city. My first time in New York was when I was a freshman in college. Now as an adult, we come to the city often to go to the theater. I try to be as deeply involved as possible without actually living in the city.

2. Do you have a favorite place/neighborhood in the city? I don’t have a favorite neighborhood really. What I love is learning about a neighborhood so that next time I am there, I feel a sense of familiarity.

3. What does OHNY mean to you? OHNY brings buildings to life. When you walk through New York, all the buildings can look huge and impersonal. But when you see the spaces with OHNY you are introduced to the history and purpose of each building. The buildings then come alive. One of the greats is, of course, the Woolworth Building. I took a tour with OHNY and now I see the Woolworth Building and feel a strong connection to it.

4. Why is OHNY important to New York City? OHNY makes New Yorkers more aware of their surroundings and it makes visitors more enthusiastic about the city. When I come here for OHNY Weekend, I stay in a hotel and eat out, so it also stimulates the economy. It helps make New York City attractive and exciting for people. It makes me more eager to come back and see again the spaces I’ve learned about. It’s such a unique experience.

5. How and when did you first learn about OHNY? I’ve been coming for seven years or so. I believe I first heard about it through the Open House London website.

6. What has been your favorite OHNY site or program? The tour of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square is my favorite so far. Everyone stays in hotels or has been to a banquet. This was an opportunity to get a very behind-the-scenes tour. You don’t often get to do that, especially at a hotel. It was nothing like the normal tours led by their PR person. This tour discussed the meetings with Bill Marriott to create the hotel and the history of Times Square as a very gritty place back in the day. Mickey Steinberg of Portman Holdings and the hotel staff answered all types of questions. It was a great tour!

7. If OHNY could grant you a New York City all-access pass, where would you go first? I am interested in the way the city works and infrastructure so I would visit someplace mechanical like the dispatch center of the MTA–the type of place that, for security reasons, you can’t get into these days. You used to be able to walk into places like that, but today’s very different.

8. Who is your favorite architect/designer/artist in the city? I don’t have a favorite. It’s not really the way I look at the city. I like knowing about different architects and connecting them with their work when I visit spaces, but it’s not something I keep track of.

9. It goes without saying that we all love New York City. What do you find most inspiring about the city? What I find most inspiring is the collective energy of such disparate groups of people. New York is the epicenter of all these different cultures and somehow they all live together. And, they manage to get something done! And, you can’t find a place that makes a sandwich faster than in New York City! When you try telling the guy what you want on your sandwich, it’s already wrapped and ready to go. There is just so much energy.

10. In one sentence, why should people support OHNY? It’s a small organization that does so much! You know your money is going to be used very directly and efficiently for such a great event and then you know you’ve done your share.

Thanks, Bob!

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