Open House New York (OHNY) is back with its annual citywide celebration of architecture! Offering a unique opportunity to experience New York City and the built environment, Dattner Architects will participate in this year’s OHNY Weekend with in-person tours at three award-winning projects on Saturday, October 16: Riverbank State Park, Bronx Library Center, and the Spring Street Salt Shed.
Riverbank State Park
Riverbank State Park opened to the public in 1993, quickly becoming one of New York State’s busiest parks—and New York City’s first public green roof. A first-of-its-kind recreation facility with numerous year-round recreational amenities, the park has become a true community amenity. Housed in five major buildings are an Olympic-size swimming complex, a covered skating rink for rolling skating in the summer and ice skating in the winter, an 800-seat cultural theater, an indoor athletic complex with fitness facilities, and a 150-seat restaurant. Outdoor amenities include a 25-yard lap pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, a softball field, a playground, and an eight-lane running track surrounding a football/soccer field.
The tour will be led by Dattner Architects’ founder Richard Dattner and will include the fascinating history of Riverbank’s inception, design, and construction – and a discussion of the critical importance of creating public open space accessible for each New Yorker.
Bronx Library Center
The Bronx Library Center anchors a pivotal spot on a major Bronx thoroughfare and provides cultural and social amenities in an underserved part of the City. When it opened in 2007, the Bronx Library was NYPL’s largest capital project in decades, and it remains the largest library in the borough. A model for publicly funded sustainable design, this pioneering project was the first public building in NYC to receive LEED certification. Since its opening, the branch has become a beloved part of the Bronx community, a destination offering robust collections and a wide variety of programs and classes, including job search assistance, ESOL classes, and more. The tour will be led by Dattner Architects’ Principal Daniel Heuberger and NYPL Supervising Librarian Jennifer Watson, and is a part of OHNY’s Radical Knowledge series.
Spring Street Salt Shed
This 70’ tall concrete wonder houses 5,000 tons of road salt for the Department of Sanitation. Sited at the historic location where the former canal enclosing Lower Manhattan met the Hudson River, the Spring Street Salt Shed’s solid, crystalline form acts as a counterpoint to its sister-project: the diaphanous, scrim-like façade of the Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage. Both Dattner-designed buildings have become new landmarks and are a source of neighborhood pride. The tour will be led by Dattner Architects’ Principals Paul Bauer and Gia Mainiero, and will include a presentation on the M125 Garage.
