On September 19, the 24th season of the Open House New York festival was officially launched.
The evening was a closed presentation of the festival’s program for OHNY members, volunteers, and partners. The main program for the public will be announced a little later.
Launched in 2003, OHNY is part of the global Open House movement — a nonprofit initiative that connects people with the architecture, infrastructure, and design that shape their cities. In New York, the festival has become a beloved civic ritual. For three days, residents and visitors can step inside more than 300 sites across all five boroughs, ranging from iconic landmarks to experimental studios, from industrial facilities to rooftop gardens.
We can’t reveal all the unique locations in this article — there will be more than 300 this year! The official 2025 OHNY Weekend lineup will be released on September 26.
What we can share already is exciting: this year will set a record number of participating organizations, and the number of tickets will nearly double compared to last year. A new record has also been set for the number of volunteers who will help guide and support visitors. You’ll spot them in bright red T-shirts — be sure to thank them when you see them at the events.
The evening opened with remarks from Kristin LaBuz, Executive Director of OHNY. She spoke about how the festival began, shared insights into the organization’s growth and behind-the-scenes work, and announced the events that will be available both to the general public and exclusively to OHNY members.
She was followed by five members of the OHNY team. Remarkably, the organization that brings so much to the city runs on just six full-time staff members. Elis Shin, Alba Cruz, Alison Pirie, Beth Haines, and Riley McShane each presented their part of the program, shared their favorite sites for this year, and offered personal tips for participants.
The event was hosted in the newly restored South Street Seaport Museum, where CEO — and active ship captain — Jonathan Boulware welcomed the guests. He reminded everyone that New York was born and grew around its port: trade and seafaring made it the gateway to the New World and later the nation’s economic powerhouse. Even today, the city remains a port — a crossroads of people, ideas, and goods.
The mission of the South Street Seaport Museum is to preserve and tell this story: from the earliest settlements and fishing piers to Manhattan’s rise as a global capital. The museum bridges past and present, showing how the sea and port shaped New York’s identity and continue to influence its future. Boulware invited guests to explore all three floors of the museum at the close of his remarks.
He was followed by Richard W. Southwick, who spoke about the museum’s recent reconstruction. He shared how architects from Beyer Blinder Belle, together with engineers from TYLin, carried out an extensive preservation effort on the historic A. A. Thomson & Co. Warehouse.
They reinforced its massive 19th-century brick walls and timber floors, made the building hurricane-resilient by moving all mechanical systems to the second floor after the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and added a new elevator, two fire stairs, and an external lift to ensure full accessibility. At the same time, they deliberately kept “traces of the past” — ink stains from the old print shop, vintage machinery, graffiti — integrating them into the exhibition. The result is a thoughtful balance between modern safety and resilience and the authentic industrial character of the neighborhood.
In the end, the evening felt less like a formal presentation and more like a reunion of classmates — warm, heartfelt, and filled with conversations among people who have known one another not just for years, but for decades.
