Discover Classical New York
Discover Classical New York is the ICA&CA’s unique series of private walking tours and visits to historically and architecturally significant sites and properties in Manhattan and the City’s outer boroughs.
Guided by recognized experts, and often affording access to corners not normally open to the general public, our tours and visits offer an insider’s perspective, rich and detailed history, as well as a fun and relaxing way to share your enthusiasm with like-minded individuals.
Saturday, October 11, 2008, 1 pm sharp
Bronx Zoo Lion House
Please join ICA&CA advisor and journalist Eve M. Kahn and Director of Building Conservation Associates Claudia Kavenagh for an architectural tour of the newly renovated circa-1903 Lion House at the Bronx Zoo. The 19,000-square-foot building was designed by Heins & La Farge, along with the rest of historic Astor Court, a Beaux-Arts assemblage at the center of the Zoo. Inaccessible to the public since the 1980s, the Lion House reopened in June as a simulated Madagascar habitat populated by lemurs and hissing cockroaches! The tour will explore LEED-compliant jungles lit by ETFE skylights and heated and cooled by geothermal wells and a fuel-cell generator, as well as a restored events space lined in exposed trusswork and sculpted terra-cotta felines. Ms. Kahn will also explain the Zoo’s recent restoration of Astor Court’s landscape, complete with monumental staircase and dolphin-shaped fountains. Ms. Kavenagh is known for her expertise in low-toxicity conservation procedures.
Meet at Bronx Zoo main entrance, Fordham Road and the Bronx River Parkway (visit the Bronx Zoo for travel directions) at 12:45 pm; tour begins at 1:00 pm. Admission is $10 for Members of the ICA&CA and employees of professional members firms; $20 for the general public. Paid reservations required; RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.
Saturday, November 1, 2008, 1 pm sharp
Sunnyside Gardens: Queens’ Newest Landmark District
Please note, this tour has been rescheduled to due rain. Join the ICA&CA and the Sunnyside Gardens Preservation Alliance for a walking tour of New York’s most famous planned community. Just 20 minutes from Manhattan, Sunnyside Gardens was designed by noted architects Clarence Stein and Henry Wright from 1924-28 as a “Garden City” for working families. Linked by common walkways, its streets and open areas feature a combination of row houses and small-scale apartments, many with beautiful landscaping. Included on the tour is one of the two private parks in the city; Phipps Garden Apartments, another fascinating model development; and the former homes of actress Judy Holliday and urban historian Lewis Mumford. Meet by the flagpole in the small park at 52nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, adjacent to the subway exit (take a local 7 train to 52nd St/Lincoln Av.; exit using the 52nd Street stairway) at 12:45 pm; the tour will begin at 1:00 pm sharp and will last approximately two hours. Admission is $10 for Members of the ICA&CA and employees of professional members firms; $20 for the general public. Paid reservations required; RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.
Saturday, November 8, 2008, 1 and 4 pm sharp
Join the ICA&CA and Daniella Romano, Director of The Brooklyn Navy Yard Archive, for a bus tour of several key sites, including Building 92—the United States Marine Corps Commandant’s residence, designed in 1857 by Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter, fourth Architect of the Capitol and one of the founders of the American Institute of Architects. Founded in 1801 as America’s premier shipbuilding facility, The Brooklyn Navy Yard is now a thriving industrial park with over 200 tenants from a variety of industries, including movie studios, furniture manufacturers, ship repairers, architectural designers, electronics distributors, and jewelers. Visit FLICKR.com for historic photos.
Meet at MetroTech Center, intersection of Jay Street and Willoughby Street in Brooklyn (take the F to the Jay Street stop in Brooklyn), at 12:45 pm; the bus will depart promptly at 1:00 pm. FREE for Members of the ICA&CA and employees of professional members firms; $20 for the general public. Paid reservations only. RESERVE ONLINE or by calling (212) 730-9646, ext. 109.
In the past, Discover Classical New York has taken groups to:
- Manhattan
- The Bar Association Building
- City Hall
- Dahesh Museum of Art
- The Green-Wood Cemetery
- Governors Island
- Gracie Mansion
- The Federal Reserve Bank of New Yor
- Harkness House
- Merchant’s House
- Tweed Courthouse
- Brooklyn
- The Green-Wood Cemetary
- Staten Island
- Historic Richmond Town
- Sailor’s Snug Harbor
- Bronx
- Hall of Fame for Great Americans Gould Memorial Library
- The Woodlawn Cemetery
For more information on upcoming tours and visits in this series, including reservations, please see the current calendar.
Join us soon and “Discover Classical New York”!
General public tour fees are applicable toward membership. Call (212) 730-9646 ext. 106 for more information.