MAS has much to celebrate and share with our members, friends and colleagues this holiday season. After more than 25 years in the Villard Houses, we are moving our headquarters to the Steinway Hall Building at 111 West 57th Street as of mid-January 2010.

So, join us on Thursday, December 10, from 6:00 p.m. for wine, beer, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, music, and good cheer throughout the evening. President Vin Cipolla and Chairman David Childs will toast MAS and its future, and bid farewell Villard Houses and hello Steinway. Architectural historian and MAS tour leader Francis Morrone will give a brief talk about the history of the Villard Houses and of the Steinway Hall Building.

Then, from 8:00 -10:00 p.m., DJ’s will play, dancing will begin and party-goers can enjoy special discounts of 20% off all books in stock at the MAS bookstore, Urban Center Books, where staff will be on hand to offer personalized recommendations for holiday gift books and a complimentary copy of The Villard Houses: Life Story of a Landmark is available with each purchase. Intermittent tours of the building will also be given by Tamara Coombs, MAS director of tours and programs.

MAS Holiday Party
Thursday, December 10, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
At The Villard Houses, 457 Madison Avenue at E. 51st Street, MAP.
Tickets: Members $25 in advance, $35 at door; Non-members $40 in advance, $50 at door. Purchase tickets online or call 212-935-2075.

Last Friday, on the eighth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, MAS contributing level members and higher joined MAS staff and directors to view the illumination of the Tribute in Light® from the downtown rooftop that houses the great battery of lights, accompanied by a brief lecture from architectural historian Francis Morrone on the tradition of using light as commemoration. Though the lights were partially obscured by low cloud and inclement weather, many of the images in the slideshow were taken during this year’s illumination.

The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial. The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison.

To learn more about the history of the project and how it is put together annually, click here to watch a narrated slideshow.

This Friday the Tribute in Light will illuminate the skies over Lower Manhattan for the eighth year to commemorate the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial.

The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison. Continue Reading>>

On Wednesday night, 300 courageous souls boarded the Circle Line for the MAS Annual Boat Tour, braving wind, rain, and ominous darkness. In honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s historic voyage, the boat tour featured the upper Manhattan and Bronx sections of the mighty Hudson River. Architectural historian and MAS tour guide Francis Morrone expounded upon many architectural jewels of this stretch of the Hudson, including the Wave Hill, in the Bronx, the George Washington Bridge, and the magnificent 1904 IRT Powerhouse, which the Landmarks Preservation Commission is currently considering landmarking after much urging from MAS. Continue Reading>>

Tonight, in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s historic voyage, we are heading up the river that bears his name. A limited number of tickets are still available ($75, $50 MAS members), but advanced sales are now closed. Please show up at Pier 83, at 42nd Street and 12th Avenue (MAP) to buy your tickets.

Please note: The Circle Line boat will sail on time at 6:00 p.m., rain or shine. To ensure that you are boarded in good time, we recommend that you arrive at Pier 83 (at 42nd St. & 12th Ave.) by 5:30 p.m. if you purchased tickets in advance — and earlier if you need to buy them on-site — as we cannot delay departure for late-comers.

Those who purchased your ticket/s online in advance, please remember to bring your e-mail receipt with you: it is your ticket. If you reserved over the phone, please check-in at the desk (look for the yellow balloons) to obtain your ticket before trying to board.

You may bring a picnic supper with you, though food and beverages, including wine and beer, are available for purchase on board. Guests are not permitted to bring their own alcoholic beverages.

Please call Katie Skelly on 212 935 2075 before 4:00 p.m. today (July 29) with any questions.

In honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s historic voyage, we are heading up the river that bears his name next Wednesday on the 18th MAS Annual Boat Tour. We’ll learn about the changing fortunes and some ongoing struggles concerning the river and its shoreline, as well as the storied past and present of the region. Early on, we’ll enjoy commentary by the inimitable Francis Morrone to accompany views of the buildings and parks lining the Upper West Side. Beyond Manhattan, we will continue with the Palisades to our port side and Spuyten Duyvil and Yonkers on the starboard, as we listen to historian and novelist Firth Haring Fabend talk of Dutch settlers in the Hudson Valley and what they left behind. We’ll return as the sun goes down, sailing under the George Washington Bridge (and by the Little Red Lighthouse) and arriving back in Midtown as the streetlights come on.

18th MAS Annual Boat Tour:
Along the Historic Hudson – New York Past and Present

Wednesday, July 29, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Pier 83, 42nd St. and 12th Ave., New York MAP
The Circle Line Boat leaves promptly at 6:00 p.m., rain or shine.
$75, $50 MAS members. Purchase tickets online or call 212-935-2075. Join MAS now and save on the boat tour and on MAS walking tours and programs throughout the year.

MAS originated the architectural walking tour in New York City in 1956 and we’re still at it — last year, more than 10,000 people participated in MAS tours. Now, we’ve published The Municipal Art Society of New York – 10 Architectural Walks in Manhattan (W.W. Norton & Company), a detailed, engaging, and lavishly illustrated guidebook to ten of the city’s most compelling districts. Francis Morrone and Matthew A. Postal, preeminent MAS guides with over 10 years experience leading visitors to all parts of the city, serve as your leaders as you navigate the city on foot.

Can’t read maps? No sense of direction? Don’t worry – the book is filled with intuitive, easy to follow directions of recognizable landmarks, clear maps, and more than 200 color photographs by Edward A. Toran, to ensure that you never confuse your chapels or misname your buildings. Continue Reading>>

Join architectural historian Francis Morrone on Mother’s Day for a stroll through historic DUMBO, including parts of three Historic Districts: Fulton Ferry, DUMBO, and Vinegar Hill. Atmospheric streets of beautiful old factory and warehouse buildings combine with stunning riverfront vistas to make this a uniquely appealing area. DUMBO is also home to interesting stores and restaurants that you may wish to explore after the tour.

For more information about DUMBO, its buildings and their industrial heritage, visit www.saveindustrialbrooklyn.org, a website created by MAS to draw attention to the threatened buildings lining the Brooklyn waterfront.

Mother’s Day in DUMBO Walking Tour
Sunday, May 10, 11:00 a.m.
Meet at York and Jay streets, upstairs from subway. The tour will end near the Fulton St. Pier. (Transit: F train to York St.) $15, $10 MAS members. Reservations required.
Purchase tickets online or call 212-935-2075 to reserve.

There are still a few tickets left for tonight’s lecture by architectural historian Francis Morrone on the architecture and history of New York’s main street, Broadway. This program will be illustrated with photographs from different periods in the life of this unique urban thoroughfare, from Bowling Green to the Harlem River.

Though a fascinating subject in its own right, tonight’s focus is to provide context for the current photographic exhibition By Way of Broadway: New York Photographs by Cervin Robinson, on display at MAS through Thursday, May 7.

Tickets for tonight’s lecture are $15, $10 MAS members. Purchase them online or call 212-935-2075, and for more information about the exhibit and gallery hours, visit www.mas.org/exhibitions.

Renowned architectural photographer and long-time Broadway resident Cervin Robinson chats with Elizabeth Werbe of MAS about the images and inspiration behind his exhibition By Way of Broadway: New York Photographs by Cervin Robinson, which opens with a reception tonight, Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 p.m., at MAS.This collection of black & white and color photographs explores New York’s visual landscape with thirty views of the 17-mile length of Manhattan’s main street taken over the course of three decades.

The exhibition opens to the public tomorrow, Thursday, March 26, and will be on display through Thursday, May 7, 2009. Visit www.mas.org/exhibitions for gallery hours and more information.