A well-known ruin is crumbling. According to Roosevelt Island Historical Society president and historian Judith Berdy, part of the north wing of the Smallpox Hospital collapsed about a week ago. She writes, "The rest of the north wing especially the front is in danger of coming down any time... [The Roosevelt Island Operation Corporation] is working with TPL, the Southpoint park developers to find a way to do emergency stabilization of the rest of......

Of all the forbidden sites that were opened for public viewing last weekend in the 5th annual Open House New York program, the High Line was one of the crown trophies. It offered rare views of the city, sexy industrial details, and the mysterious allure of a wild grassy flying carpet that won't open until at least a year hence. Built during the same era (early 1930s) as the Empire State Building, the George......

We love Open House New York - it's a wonderful opportunity to venture into usually off-limits buildings and places and learn more about them. We tried to take advantage and managed to go to six different sites this year across three boroughs. We would have done more, but the weekend subway work threw a monkey wrench into things. Given what we wanted to see, we skipped everything that needed reservations, since we knew that......

October is starting off with a continuation of September's trend of quiet weather. Central Park was 2.8 degrees warmer than normal last month. Rainfall at Belvedere Castle was less than half of the normal 4.23 inches. Don't worry, rainfall upstate was closer to average and the reservoir levels are only slightly lower than they typically are at this time of year. The normal high temperature for this time of year has dipped below 70 degrees.......

Open House New York weekend is coming up in 7 days and NewYorkology has a handy guide to which places you'll need reservations for this (the 5th) year, check it out here. Touted as America's largest architect and design event, OHNY opens usually locked doors throughout New York City each October (and sometimes Spring). Discover new nooks in each of the five boroughs through special talks, tours, performances and workshops. The weekend is free and......

This October, artist Thom Sokoloski will build 100 white tents on Roosevelt Island, and the public will be able to see the illuminated tents at night as well as explore what's in them. The project is called The Encampment and here is a description the website:The Encampment is a large-scale public participatory art installation. 100 - 19th century luminous tents will be erected as a work of optical art on Roosevelt's Island Southpoint. From......

Open House New York opens the doors to many New York spaces that you wouldn't likely ever see. Past tours have included 7 World Trade Center and the Lost City Hall Subway. Each October these tours are free, and throughout the year the series costs money. The Spring tours will include: • From Working Seaport to Living City Saturday, April 28, 2007, 10 am & 1 pm Please join urban studies and preservation educator Elizabeth......

If you're thinking of taking advantage of a beautiful Sunday to hit up some Open House New York spots, you're in luck. Newyorkology has summarized Sunday locations that don't require reservations or have very small limits on tours. Some cool choices: - Octagon & Lighthouse Park, Roosevelt Island - The Montauk Club, Brooklyn - Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse, Queens - Washington Irving High School, Union Square Photograph of the New York City Marble Cemetery -......

The General Theological Seminary takes up an entire block of West Chelsea between 9th and 10th Avenue. The seminary is the oldest Episcopalian seminary in the country-- it was founded in 1817! We've been peering through the bars for years on the way up to the galleries in Chelsea, and now, courtesy of Open House New York and our pal What I See, we finally get to take a peek inside. Check out his......

- The ME's examination of the body found in a Pennsylvania dump is inconclusive about whether or not it's the body of Monica Lozado-Rivadineira - Forgotten NY goes old school and revisits 5th Avenue in Brooklyn, and looks at gentrifications benefits and drawbacks - Thousands of people watched today's Columbus Day Parade, with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia leading the way... no word on whether or not he continued his endorsements of Harriet Miers along......

And like that Open House New York is over(ish). Our general impression has been that the rain and icky weather really kept people away this year. But that's just our impression. Anyone have any good stories? Take, or find, any good pictures? That's what comments are for. In the meantime, if you're already thinking about what in the world you are going to do next week might we point this out to you. As......

We might have mentioned this before, but in case you missed it, here goes. Today, rain or shine (or, uh, rain), is the beginning of Open House New York, the one weekend of the year when hundreds of generally inaccessible places around New York get opened up to the public. It's really pretty awesome and worth your taking advantage of. And if you bring your digital camera (or your old fashioned one for that matter)......

In case you missed our reminder last weekend, this weekend is Open House New York. Some of the sites requiring reservations are already full, but with so many sites available for touring, there's almost something for everyone. This year, OHNY boasts over 150 sites on their list with sites all over the five boroughs. Last year, Gothamist went to a lot of cemeteries, which can be a little morbid (yet historically so), so this year,......

In just two years Open House New York is quickly turning into a beloved New York tradition (50,000 people took part in the event last year). Part of the city's Architecture Week, OHNY (which runs next Saturday and Sunday) opens to any interested parties over one hundred buildings and places normally closed to the public along with tours, talks, walks, performances and more. But Gothamist, you say, why are you talking about Open House......

With Martha Stewart's new morning show debut this morning, as well as her version of The Apprentice - with more fresh flowers! - next Wednesday, Gothamist has been thinking about how her offices at the Starrett-Lehigh Building on West 26th Street (the massive brick and windowed structure that takes up a block at West 26th Street and Eleventh Avenue) have been transformed into television heaven. Because it's not just the studio for the show, but......

The New York Marble Cemetery, smack between Second and Third Streets and Avenues, is gem of Old New York hidden in the East Village. Not to be confused with its sister cemetery, the New York City Marble Cemetery which you can actually see from the street, the NYMC is the first non-sectarian cemetery in the city. It opened in 1830 and holds over 2,000 people in it's vaults. It is also the last place......

This past weekend was that great event where various New York instituations and spaces open up their doors to the curious: Open House New York. Let us know if you went and what you thought; and if you have pictures, paste the links in comments and we'll post to them. Bluejake went to Marble Cemetery (1, 2). Tien visited New York City Marble Cemetary. rion took photographs of General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen.......

It goes without saying that New York City is chock full of amazing buildings and spaces. And many of them aren't normally open to the public. But this weekend you can visit over 100 places throughout the five boroughs, free of charge, during the Second Annual Open House New York. From self-guided tours to discussions with designers, OHNY offers a rare glimpse into your fair city. Detailed information about each site - day(s) of......

To anyone who has a first date planned for this weekend, Gothamist has this suggestion: Woo him or her with a trip to the New York Cat Show. Okay, you might need to check in advance to see if they (or you) are allergic, or if they are cat-haters (we know you're out there), but for the most part, people enjoy seeing some of the most adorable as well as bizarre looking felines out there.......

- Seminally speaking, it's a fully realized list of music writing cliches - Brooklyn gets new magazines - Tiger in a tenement...okay, not a tenement, you know what we're trying to do: Ming the Tiger gets hauled out, his nutty owner misses him, and the poor aligator left in the shuffle - It'd be cool if you did - Pataki and Bloomberg, the love goes on - Law and Order-esque comedy in the works -......

This weekend New Yorkers get the chance to explore private and public buildings through Openhousenewyork, which runs this Saturday and Sunday, October 11-12. With over 80 sites over the five boroughs open for visits and tours, Open House New York's explains why: - Let’s showcase New York City as the strong, dynamic and creative community we know and love. - Let’s open our minds to the wonders of the city that surrounds us. -......