A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

Recent entries:
“Don’t use a big word when a singularly unloquacious and diminutive linguistic expression…” (3/18)
“Why does it take me 452 snacks to realize that I just need to eat dinner?” (3/18)
“You have to hand it to Subway for convincing us it’s acceptable to eat an entire loaf of bread for lunch” (3/18)
“At some point, Subway convinced us all it’s healthy to eat a whole loaf of bread in one sitting” (3/18)
“Just gone online for a video conference call. A can of corned beef popped up on my screen. Must be a zoom meat tin” (3/18)
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Entry from August 21, 2005
Open House New York
"Open House New York" began in 2003 and was modeled after a similar event held in London. People are invited to New York spaces normally off-limits to the general public.

http://www.openhousenewyork.org/ohny_website/programs.html
3rd annual openhousenewyork weekend, presented by Target
October 8 & 9, 2005

Join us for America's largest celebration of architecture and design on Saturday & Sunday, October 8 & 9, 2005. More than 150 fascinating spaces and places in all five boroughs will be open for tours - free of charge. Each site will offer different experiences, including guided and self-guided tours, talks and conversations with the designers, exhibits, performances and children's activities. Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2005 site list!

http://www.openhousenewyork.org/ohny_website/who.html
openhousenewyork celebrates New York City's architecture and inspires civic pride through an annual program of public access to significant buildings and sites in all five boroughs.

our mission:
- Promote a greater appreciation of New York City's built environment;
- Broaden public awareness by exposing diverse audiences to distinctive examples of architecture, engineering and design;
- Educate and inspire discussion of issues of excellence in design, planning and preservation;
- Showcase outstanding new work as well as buildings and structures of historic merit.

http://www.openhousenewyork.org/ohny_website/news.html
Third annual openhousenewyork weekend
presented by Target
October 8 & 9, 2005

Join us for America's largest architecture and design event! openhousenewyork weekend, presented by Target, puts you on the inside track to visit New York City's newest buildings, oldest landmarks and everything in-between. This year's event will highlight 150 sites throughout the city, allowing you to explore landmarks such as the Chrysler Building, major projects such as Fresh Kills, and sites open for the first time, such as the grounds of Ellis Island Hospital PLUS lighthouses, lookouts, monuments, mansions, fireboats, forts, farmhouses, penthouses and SO MUCH MORE!

New programs!
In addition to getting you behind-the-scenes - at no charge - OHNY will offer several new programs this year. Full details will be listed on our website and in our printed event guide in September. Information will also be available on WABC and WNYC, the official TV and radio stations of OHNY '05.

opendialogues
Speak with architects and designers as they describe the thoughts, inspirations and challenges behind their work in talks and tours throughout the city.

sustainablenewyork
Learn about ancient and cutting-edge methods of sustainable design at sites around town.

architecturemoves
Enjoy concerts and dance performances against the dramatic architecture, sculpture and landscape of The Green-Wood Cemetery.

openhousenewyork kids!
Participate in design workshops, special tours, photography and drawing contests, and pick up an OHNY activity book. Details and an instructional guide for teachers and parents will be available at http://www.ohny.org in September.

focus on architecture photography competition
Grab your cameras, capture the weekend in photos, and send us your favorites!

1 March 2003, Architecture, "Come on in: with its inaugural 'Open House,' New York joins a list of international cities offering an intimate look at their architectural secrets" by Emilie W. Sommerhoff, pg. 45:
Architect Scott Lauer happened to be living in London for five of the city's ten Open Houses, an annual weekend event since 1993 that celebrates London's architectural and built environment. "Leading up to London Open House, I noticed editorials and articles about design and architecture, prompted by the event. There was suddenly a mainstream focus an architecture." For Lauer, it was inspiring to see these topics received by the public, not just the design community. In August 2001, hoping to cultivate this enthusiasm across the Atlantic. Lauer decided to initiate the event in another architecturally worthy city: his hometown of New York.

While still in the planning stages, the inaugural Open House New York (OHNY) weekend will make accessible to the public normally inaccessible, yet architecturally noteworthy, sites around the city during the weekend of October 11. The raster of visitable venues will represent several architectural periods, a roundup of functions (from power plant to private residence). and a cross-section of socioeconomic and cultural diversity from the city's five boroughs. In line with the "Open House" philosophy of "architecture for everyone," admittance to buildings will be free. Currently, Lauer - who heartily deserves his title as OHNY's full-time executive director - is shooting for 50 sites and "tens of thousands" of visits.

If London's event is any indication. Lauer is right to expect impressive numbers. Organizers of London Open House logged around 20.000 visits in 1993, doubling that number by 1994; last year, the city opened 550 sites and recorded 360,000 visits in one weekend. "That is why we say it is the biggest architectural exhibition in the country." says director Victoria Thornton. Equally as significant as the high attendee numbers is the number of cities hosting public celebrations of architecture. Glasgow's effort. Doors Open Days, which many consider to be the first such event. started in 1990; it has since escalated into a Scotland-wide activity that spans the month of September. Glasgow inspired Doors Open Toronto, a similar weekend celebration of Toronto's architecture that started in 2000. and by last year had grown to include 123 sites and almost 140,000 visits. Chicago's Great Places & Spaces was launched in 1999; Sydney, Australia, initiated Sydney Open in 1998. Even little Lowell. Massachusetts, hosted an architecture appreciation weekend last year.

25 September 2003, New York Times, "New York Views That Will Make Eyes Open Wide" by Craig Kellogg, pg. F3:
The interior of the Tweed Courthouse, far left, will be available for scrutiny on Oct. 11 as part of Open House New York, a weekend when private homes, oddities like the catacombs at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and unfamiliar parts of public buildings will be open. (Tours of the courthouse are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with entry through City Hall.)

The event is free and is modeled on a similar weekend popular in London. ''It's a chance to get past the doormen,'' said Scott Lauer, the organizer, who has chosen 85 structures for the event. Voyeurs may look in on an apartment, left, with furniture by the midcentury designer Norman Cherner. Mr. Cherner was the father of Ben Cherner, who designed the home with his wife, Emma O'Neill. Ben Cherner and Ms. O'Neill will greet drop-ins from 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 11; 366 East Eighth Street (Avenue C). The same day, Gabellini Associates' frosty Olympic Tower apartment, above left, will be open by appointment (e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).

Posted by Barry Popik
Holidays/Events/Parades • Sunday, August 21, 2005 • Permalink


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