The Municipal Art Society of New York

Toward a Sustainable Upper Bay: Islands, Bays, Channels & Canals
Wednesday, July 28, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Join us for a scenic boat ride and lively commentary on the present and future of the Upper Bay of New York Harbor. We’ll get up-close views of Ellis, Liberty and Governors islands, take the Buttermilk Channel past Red Hook and visit assorted basins and canals. Along the way, we’ll learn about the Upper Bay’s changing environment, the preservation and conservation challenges facing its extraordinary National Parks and look to the future—including a waterfront public high school that will offer an education built upon New York City’s maritime experience. Continue Reading>>

Last night’s panel, Made in Midtown: The Garment District Today & Tomorrow, was a huge success. More than 250 people came out to hear Tim Gunn, of television’s Project Runway, moderate a discussion on the future of New York’s Garment District. Join MAS next Tuesday, June 15, as we pick up where last night’s panel left off. We’ll be discussing Urban Creative Districts.

The story of New York City cannot be told without understanding the role dynamic creative communities play in defining the identity of particular neighborhoods. Drawing on the Design Trust study, Made in Midtown, this discussion will invite leading creative thinkers and practitioners to imagine the future of the Garment District as an urban creative ecosystem. Panelists will discuss the cultural, economic, and social contributions of creative communities, and explore how improved visibility of the activities within these neighborhoods can strengthen those creative industries and New York City. Continue Reading>>

New York’s midtown Garment District is one of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods, and it is undergoing rapid change. Join MAS on Tuesday, June 8, to learn about the many interdependent industries and businesses that make the district so distinct. Tim Gunn, chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne, Inc. and host of Lifetime TV’s hit show, Project Runway, will moderate an expert panel on how New York’s fashion industry works today, its role in the city’s economy, and its future prospects.

Panelists include: Sarah Crean, deputy director, New York Industrial Retention Network; Eric Gural, executive managing director, Newmark Knight Frank; Madelyn Wils, executive vice president of the Planning, Development and Maritime division, NYCEDC; Deborah Marton, executive director, Design Trust for Public Space; Michael Meola, consultant, formerly senior vice president, Real Estate and Special Projects, NYCEDC; and Yeohlee Teng, designer, YEOHLEE Inc.

The programs will discuss Made in Midtown, a study of the Garment District, produced by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Design Trust for Public Space, with additional research support from MAS. Visit MAS.org/programs for more information and tickets.

New York City’s Midtown Garment District presents a host of planning, economic development and preservation issues as the district has undergone significant change over the last four decades.

To chart a course for the future, the Design Trust for Public Space, with its partner, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has launched Made in Midtown, a project that will document how New York’s fashion industry works today and how it could be the catalyst for future improvements in the Garment District.

The Design Trust’s findings, including specific research on international fashion centers provided by The Municipal Art Society, will show how New York’s fashion industry functions as an interconnected ecosystem that is integral to our city’s economy, identity, and sense of place. The Design Trust will launch the project website, madeinmidtown.org, with a day-long event open to the public on June 3 at the Port Authority Pop-Up Space, at Eighth Avenue at 41st Street. Following the launch, the Design Trust and MAS have organized public programming throughout June to publicize the findings and to guide this issue into a public discussion. Continue Reading>>

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To mark National Train Day — this Saturday, May 8 — MAS spoke with renowned rail reporter and train enthusiast Don Philips about what’s happening with America’s railroads. From foreign competition for contracts for increasingly popular and lucrative commuter rail lines, to some major top-down changes at Amtrak, to Warren Buffett’s quiet, but major, investment in freight rail, Don told us that right now may well be the most pivotal period in America’s railroads for decades.

And, to learn what’s happening at Moynihan Station — New York City’s most important development project — join architectural historian Matt Postal this Saturday, May 8, at 11:00 a.m., for a tour of Moynihan Station and the Far West Side. Tickets are $15, $10 MAS members. No reservations necessary. Meet at the N.W. corner of Sixth Ave. and 30th St. MAP.

To learn about MAS advocacy on Moynihan Station, visit MAS.org/new-penn-station. More MAS podcasts are available at MAS.org/audio or on our iTunes page.

We apologize for the short notice, but Francis Morrone’s lecture How the Architectural Walking Tour Built the Preservation Movement scheduled for tonight (Friday, 4/23) at 7:00 p.m. has had to be postponed because Mr. Morrone has severe laryngitis and has lost his voice.

The lecture will be rescheduled and ticket holders will be contacted soon via email or phone and advised of the adjusted timing.

In honor of the late activist and author Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walk USA — a non-profit that helps local citizens across America organize community walking tours — will be hosting a number of tours in New York City on May 1 and 2.

Jane Jacobs believed strongly that local residents understand best how their neighborhood works, and what is needed to strengthen and improve them, so all Jane’s Walks are led by local people. Jane’s Walks are also all given for free.

Events slated for New York City will include: the challenges facing the Columbia Street waterfront district of Brooklyn; little-known parts of Spanish Harlem; a Who’s Who tour of the Upper West Side; and a bicycle tour of Broadway led by urban critic and journalist Roberta Gratz. Continue Reading>>

The Municipal Art Society of New York is celebrating the arrival of spring with an entire month devoted to the city’s streets — those elements (including roads, adjoining buildings, sidewalks, street furniture, trees, plantings and open spaces) that combine to form the character of a street. We chose New York’s Changing Streetscapes for our April tour and events series because streets constitute more than a quarter of our city — our largest public space — and can be a core indicator of livability.

We have assembled exciting and thought-provoking panels of experts to discuss ways to build a better street, and to examine what New York can learn from other great cities. These panel discussions are complemented by a range of streets-focused tours.

“The Municipal Art Society is pleased to continue its long-standing tradition of offering events that educate and enlighten New Yorkers about their city,” said Vin Cipolla, MAS President. “New Yorkers’ growing interest in developing the city’s pedestrian areas could make this one of our most popular series yet.”

Our month-long series kicks-off on Saturday, April 3, with Manhattan Streetscapes: The Good, Bad & The Awful, a tour of some of the best and worst streetscapes that Manhattan has to offer, from the charm of Stone Street to others that sport sorry furniture and illegal signage. This tour is supplemented on Wednesday, April 7 by the panel discussion Are New York’s Streets Out of (Design) Control? .

Events and tours are priced at $15, $10 MAS members and are open to the public. Please note the various locations around the city. For more information about these events, visit MAS.org/calendar or call 212 935-2075. Continue Reading>>

Next Sunday, join tour leader and architectural historian Francis Morrone as he leads what is becoming an annual visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Alice Austen House in Rosebank, Staten Island.

Recently, we asked Francis what it was that appealed to him so much about a quiet corner of a little-known borough. He replied:

“Both the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Austen house are among the lesser-known gems of New York. The former is a great folk-art shrine, a stunning example of how old-world folkways and spiritual traditions have been translated to the big modern city. The Austen house has it all: a colonial house transformed into the city’s finest surviving Downingesque cottage; the story of Alice herself, whose life exemplifies the progressive woman of the early 20th century and who was also a great pioneering photographer; and a unique, beautiful waterfront setting. What the two have in common is that they show layers of time, and tell complicated, compelling stories. Rosebank, as a whole, symbolizes a whole Italian-American way of life, the semiotic transposition of contadini values to the New World. This resonates powerfully with me, for it is bound up with my own family history and intense interest in Italian-American history.”

Sunday, March 21, 12:45–approximately 4:30 p.m.
A Stroll through Rosebank, Staten Island
Bring a MetroCard. $15, $10 MAS members. Includes admission fee for Alice Austen House and refreshments. Reservations required. Meet at the top of the escalators in the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, next to Battery Park. (Transit: #1 train to South Ferry; R train to Whitehall). MAP. Call 212 935 2075 for tickets — we only have a few places left.

For more upcoming MAS tours and events, visit MAS.org/calendar.

Head outside for an invigorating walking tour this holiday season. Take in the last of John Kriskiewicz’s “Architecture of Aspiration” walking tours on Christmas Eve, and consider Tony Robins’ Christmas morning tour of Rockefeller Center — repeated on Sunday, December 27. Take (or send) your holiday guests on MAS Tuesday Downtown and Wednesday Grand Central Terminal tours — we’ll have two tour leaders at Grand Central Terminal between Christmas and the New Year.

Also, don’t forget to welcome in the New Year with Jack Eichenbaum’s tour of Flushing’s Koreatown on New Year’s Day. Happy Holidays! Continue Reading>>

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.

November started with a bang here at MAS. The 2nd Jane Jacobs Forum on November 3 was heavily attended, with people coming out in droves to hear panelists Dr. Dickson Despommier of Columbia University, Nevin Cohen of the New School, Jennifer Nelkin of Gotham Greens, and architect Colin Cathcart of Kiss+Cathcart, discuss urban farming. Neal Peirce, of The Washington Post, moderated. If you missed the event, check out the podcast or video.

We were very excited to have Denise Scott Brown with us on November 12, to discuss her new book, Having Word, followed by a discussion with fellow architects Sarah Whiting and Hilary Sample, moderated by Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at MoMA.

This evening was followed by yet another great author’s talk. On November 17, Roger Kennedy visited MAS to give an illustrated lecture on his new book When Art Worked, focusing on what artists and their work did for the United States during the Great Depression. MAS friend David Rockefeller, Jr., introduced Kennedy.

On November 19, MAS was proud to award the 22^nd Brendan Gill Prize to artists Mike and Doug Starn for See it split, see it change, a permanent installation at the South Ferry subway terminal. For more information on the prize click here.

The end of November will see the publication of Unpacking My Library: Architect’s and Their Books, a co-publication of MAS and Yale University Press, edited by MAS’ own Jo Steffens, director of Urban Center Books. For more information on the book visit Urban Center Books. Be sure to join us next month, on December 8, for the book launch, featuring a panel discussion led by Barry Bergdoll, chief curator of design at MoMA, with architects Stan Allen, Bernard Tschumi, Tod Williams, and Billie Tsien, all of whom are featured in the book. An invitation to the event is accessible here.

Finally, some November tour highlights included: the Urbanists, MAS’ young members group, pub tour of Williamsburg (November 8), Powerhouse Arts District in Jersey City (November 8), Beyond Bauhaus, a tour of Midtown Manhattan and its role in modern architecture (November 14), Downtown’s Lost Neighborhood, a tour of Liberty Street down to the Battery (November 21), and Woodside Avenue, Queens (November 22). Check out our upcoming events, including a tour of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on November 29, here.

With about a month and a half left at the Villard Houses, before our move to Steinway Hall, stop by to see MAS’ old haunts! Our exhibit, “Re-Imagining Cities: Urban Design After the Age of Oil,” is on view in our gallery through December 4, 2009. Click here for more information, including gallery hours. Also, MAS invites you to our Villard House holiday party farewell on December 10. Purchase tickets here.

Click here to sign up for the biweekly MAS e-newsletter, MAS Update, or our new, weekly events listing e-mail This Week at MAS.

Join tour leader and architectural historian Tony Robins this Sunday, November 1, for a stroll along one of the fanciest boulevards in the city. Walking from Rockefeller Center to the Plaza Hotel along a stretch of Fifth Avenue that has evolved from a posh 19th-century residential area to a major 20th-century commercial center, we’ll consider clashing images of a glamorous district — the 19th-century residential model of mansions, clubs and churches, versus the 20th-century model of skyscrapers, hotels and department stores.

Fancy on Fifth:
From Rockefeller Center to the Plaza Hotel
Sunday, November 1, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meet at 457 Madison Ave. at 51st St., MAP. $15, $10 MAS members. Pay at tour.

Details of other upcoming MAS tours and programs through the New Year can be found at MAS.org/calendar.

“What if you could live, work and raise sheep in the same building?” is just one of the provocative ideas raised by the proposals commissioned by the Downtown Alliance in the newly installed exhibit in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. Chris Reynolds, MAS Urbanist and Assistant VP of Planning for the Downtown Alliance, and representatives of the firms Beyer Blinder Belle and ARO/Architecture Research Office recently led a group of MAS Urbanists on a special guided tour of the exhibit.

The Downtown Alliance, also known as the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District, commissioned input from architects, urban planners, and artists for this outdoor exhibit, imagining the changes that might lead to a vibrant future for “Greenwich South,” an area roughly bounded by Broadway to the East, West Street to the East, Liberty Street to the North, and Battery Place to the South. Continue Reading>>

On September 24th, an intrepid group of Richard Morris Hunt patrons gathered for a private boat tour of the Gowanus Canal. The tour was a rare opportunity to visit a historic waterway and see some of Brooklyn’s most interesting historic industrial buildings and travel through the “museum” of historic draw bridges still in operation on the canal.

The discussion on the boat focused on the fact that the canal and the adjacent manufacturing area is currently at the center of a debate about how to best clean New York’s polluted waterways and sensitively develop in its manufacturing zones. The tour leaders, Lisa Kersavage, Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at MAS, Dan Wiley, Community Coordinator for US Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, and Josh Verleun, Staff Attorney/Investigator of Riverkeeper, a NY-based nonprofit that advocates for clean water, all brought different perspectives to those issues. Continue Reading>>