Open House New York

On April 11, go to the top of the Kensico Dam with NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) to learn about the history of NYC's watershed. Tickets on sale Friday 3/21 at noon! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eyN7JERW. The Kensico Reservoir, located in Westchester County, collects water from eight upstate reservoirs and is the last major stop for city water before it flows to our taps. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) draws nearly 1 billion gallons of water from the Kensico Reservoir each day to serve 9 million New Yorkers. DEP is undertaking a nearly $2-billion project at the 110-year-old reservoir to ensure long-term resilience of the water supply system, including building a new 2-mile-long tunnel hundreds of feet below ground to convey drinking water. This program will take visitors to the top of the Kensico Dam with John Milgrim, Director of External Affairs, New York City Water Supply. Standing atop the structure holding back 30-billion gallons of water, learn about the history of New York City’s watershed, the construction of the reservoir and aqueduct systems, and how DEP protects New York City’s famous drinking water for generations to come. Event details: Kensico Reservoir Tour Friday, April 11 | 3:00pm-4:00pm Tickets: On sale March 21 at noon at https://lnkd.in/epM9d_fF $32 General Admission $22 OHNY Members Includes transportation from the Metro-North Valhalla Station to the meeting location. Photo courtesy of NYC DEP.

New York City’s faucets are endpoints in a journey through a vast, sophisticated, and visually humbling infrastructure of aqueducts, tunnels, water mains, pipes, pumping stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, gatehouses and more. Photographer Stanley Greenberg has spent over three decades documenting the structures that make up New York City’s water system. On April 1st, he will discuss the redux volume of his original 2003 book - Waterworks: The Hidden Water System of New York - in a conversation led by Mariana Mogilevich, editor in chief of Urban Omnibus, featuring his collaborators Kris Graves and Larry Buchanan. Expect to leave with a new appreciation of what it takes to provide over a billion gallons of water a day to our city, and the beauty of the hidden structures that do the work. Event Details CBH Talk | Discussing “Waterworks,” Stanley Greenberg’s Photographs of New York’s Hidden Water System Tuesday, April 1, 2025 | 6:30 - 8:00pm Center for Brooklyn History Register: https://lnkd.in/dU9c6t5Z Photo: Stanley Greenberg

Explore Brooklyn’s new art-centric library branch at the L10 Open House on Saturday 3/29! The Library for Arts & Culture, housed at the newly-opened L10 Arts & Cultural Center, is the first branch of the Brooklyn Public Library with a dedicated focus on the arts. It houses a rotating collection of books, music, periodicals, and ephemera reflecting the borough’s dynamic arts scene. The branch’s design incorporates the work of two Brooklyn artists, both of whom will both be on-site to discuss their work at the L10 Open House on March 29! Brooklyn artist katie merz will do a live drawing / performance at the Library for Arts & Culture. Her installation is an homage to the 9,000-sq-foot “Flatbush Mural” which stood across the street from L10 for many years. Michael Brotherton AIA from SITU Fabrication, based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, will also be on-site to discuss the design and creation of the library’s distinctive curved wall with integrated benches and shelves of flowing wood. Join us at the L10 Open House to explore the four cultural institutions housed at this new community space, featuring design presentations, exhibitions, and more. RSVP at ohny.org/L10. Produced with support from the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Event Details: L10 Open House Saturday, March 29 | 12pm-3pm, last entry 2:30 10 Lafayette Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn RSVP at ohny.org/L10. Photos: Gregg Richards, courtesy Brooklyn Public Library.

On March 6, nearly 400 infrastructure enthusiasts attended the Water Works series keynote event with NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala and infrastructure expert Kate Ascher. Commissioner Aggarwala provided an overview of DEP’s operations and the vast scope of the agency’s services—everything from regulating noise and air pollution to protecting watershed land up to 125 miles from the city. The presentation was followed by a lively conversation between the Commissioner and Kate Ascher, fueled by questions from a highly engaged audience. Their talk provided insights into why New York City’s drinking water is so tasty, what goes on inside sewage treatment digesters, and projects underway to help manage the billions of gallons of stormwater that even a light rainshower brings. Water Talks: Inside DEP with Commissioner Aggarwala was produced in partnership with the Design Trust for Public Space and NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Photos: DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala and Kate Ascher in conversation at the keynote event for OHNY’s Water Works series. Credit: Michael Lee.

“All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.” -Toni Morrison, The Site of Memory In NYC, the memory of water can be seen throughout the city during storms: in former wetlands, streams, and ponds, now paved over, that reappear each time it rains. On March 20, Eric W. Sanderson, author of bestseller Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York will join OHNY and urban planner, climate policymaker, and artist Daphne Lundi for a conversation about how the historic landscape impacts our built environment, and how we can work with the natural underpinnings of the city to build a healthier and safer New York. Event Details: The Memory of Water: Eric W. Sanderson in Conversation Thursday, March 20, 2025 | 6:30-8:00PM SVA Theatre, Chelsea More info and tickets: https://lnkd.in/e9cZDapG Photo: Flash flooding on Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Park from 4-7 inches of rain on September 29, 2023. Credit: Wil540 art, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Get a first look at L10, Downtown Brooklyn’s new arts & culture hub with OHNY on Saturday, March 29! Nearly a decade in the making, L10 Arts and Cultural Center is a new community center housing four iconic institutions: 651 ARTS, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts - MoCADA. This free event offers a sneak peek at these new spaces for film, theater, performance, and exhibitions, and an opportunity to hear from Andrea Steele and the design teams from Andrea Steele Architecture and SITU about the building’s design and construction. L10 Arts & Cultural Center Open House Saturday, March 29 | 12:00-2:30pm 10 Lafayette Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn RSVP at https://lnkd.in/emH57hge Produced with support from the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Photo: BPL Arts & Culture Library and MoCADA open their doors for the L10 ribbon cutting event, Jan 28. Credit: Gregg Richards, Courtesy Brooklyn Public Library.

Last week, NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) unlocked their Archives for 30 lucky Open House New Yorkers, selected from more than 500 lottery entrants. DEP Archivists Sarah Acheson and Samar Anne Qandil told the story of how NYC’s drinking water system was created, illustrated by lantern slides, architectural drawings, maps, and even a few manhole covers. More than just beautiful historic records, these materials are in active use today for planning and reference as elements of the system undergo repairs. DEP posts new materials from the Archives publicly each week on their Flickr page, allowing the public to explore this history from home. Visit https://lnkd.in/d7dBetgY to see more. Photo: Open House New York tour of NYC DEP Archives, January 25, 2025. Credit: Jean Schwarzwalder / NYC DEP.?

Last call! Don’t miss an inside look at NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) with Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala, and conversation with Kate Ascher, this Thursday, March 6! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ezbX6YAc. NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) is undertaking projects around the city to improve our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Hear about some of them, and what it takes to build them, at this Water Works series kickoff event. Water Talks: Insider DEP with Commissioner Aggarwala Thursday, March 6 | 7:00-8:30pm SVA Theatre, Chelsea Tickets and more info: https://lnkd.in/ezbX6YAc. Photo: Hunts Point Digesters, 2024. Courtesy of NYC DEP.

What did New York look like before it was a city? New York Botanical Garden Vice President for Urban Conservation and author of bestseller Mannahatta Eric W. Sanderson has spent two and half decades researching the landscape, waterways, and wildlife of New York as it existed over 400 years ago, before the first contact between the Indigenous Lenape and European settlers. His work reveals that the historic landscape of wetlands, springs, ponds, and streams has a persistent impact on how our city and its water systems look and function today. On March 20, Eric W. Sanderson will give a talk on the indigenous landscape of New York and how knowledge of our ecological history can help us plan for the future impacts of climate change in a city shaped by water and facing increasing flooding events. Following the talk, Sanderson will be joined for a conversation with urban planner, climate policymaker, and artist Daphne Lundi. Event Details: The Memory of Water: Eric W. Sanderson in Conversation Thursday, March 20, 2025 | 6:30-8:30PM SVA Theatre, Chelsea Tickets: https://lnkd.in/e9cZDapG Photo: Photo: Aerial view of Subway Island, Jamaica Bay. Pi.1415926535 CC BY-SA 3.0.

On Sunday, February 23, the Brooklyn Navy Yard celebrated their 224th anniversary. Open House New York is honored to present the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation with the Open City Award at our Open City Benefit on April 30. This historic site, transformed from a naval shipyard to a thriving urban innovation hub, stands as a model for adaptive reuse and inclusive economic growth. We are thrilled to recognize the Brooklyn Navy Yard for its impact on the past, present, and future of New York City. Join us at the Open City Benefit to celebrate this remarkable site. Secure your table or tickets at https://ohny.org/benefit/ and enjoy an evening of design tours, dinner, and entertainment, alongside a community of fellow New Yorkers who share a passion for our city. Photos: Courtesy of Brooklyn Navy Yard.