September 4, 2019
New York, NY – Updated September 4, 2019 – The ninth-annual Archtober, a month-long celebration of architecture and design, is set to take place October 1-31, 2019. Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with 80+ partners and sponsors, the 2019 installment of the festival gathers events ranging from daily building tours and lectures by design experts, to architecture-themed competitions and parties.
This year, Archtober is excited to announce two new partnerships. The festival will be joined by NYC’s three public library systems—Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library—to highlight their work as active community centers and reach even broader audiences across the five boroughs. Check in regularly to see our expanding library programs, which will include tours, panel discussions on new library construction and the future of libraries, and special architecture-focused story time! Also new this year are the festival’s Weekend Getaway partners, which offer audiences opportunities to explore architecture just a short car ride or train trip away. This year’s partners include the Glass House, Grace Farms, and Art Omi.
The festival’s popular Building of the Day series of architect-led walking tours continues, with an exciting line-up of 29 contemporary and iconic buildings including Solar Carve by Studio Gang, Hunters Point Library by Steven Holl Architects, Eleven Madison Park Restaurant by Allied Works Architecture, the Statue of Liberty Museum by FXCollaborative, and the Bronx Hall of Music by WXY. The Workplace Wednesdays series also returns, with Deborah Berke Partners, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, Ennead Architects, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Thomas Phifer and Partners. Each week, one of these firms will invite the public for a special behind-the-scenes look into their offices.
“Now in its ninth year, Archtober looks forward to showcasing the work of more of our collaborators than ever before! We are excited for our growing network of partners, both institutional and professional, to be bolstered by the addition of NYC’s library systems, allowing us to reach an even broader audience across the five boroughs,” says Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA, Executive Director of AIA New York and the Center for Architecture. “The festival will also expand beyond the bounds of the city, highlighting some of the unique architecture of our region, just a short train or car ride away.”
From lectures to film screenings and design workshops, Archtober partner events run the length of the month. “National Design Week,” put on by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum returns once again, along with the celebrated Architecture and Design Film Festival. The Municipal Art Society will host its the “2019 Summit for New York City,” which will focus on the economic, environmental, social, and public health impacts of light and air. From October 16-20, Brooklyn welcomes the National Organization of Minority Architects’ annual conference, “NOMA ’19: Believe the Hype.” And don’t miss Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s “Responding to Wright: Architects Design for the Guggenheim,” featuring talks by several architects who have designed exhibitions within the iconic space.
Opportunities for touring NYC’s architecture go beyond Building of the Day. Open House New York Weekend will provide unparalleled access to sites across the city. Additional tours throughout the month will be led by the Historic House Trust of NYC, the South Street Seaport Museum, the Museum at Eldridge Street, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Prospect Park Alliance, and more! And to see the city from the water’s edge, join Classic Harbor Line, in partnership with AIA New York, for daily architecture boat tours. New offerings include an “Architecture and the Lights of Gotham” nighttime tour of our city’s lit up skyline.
Archtober invites audiences of all ages to celebrate the impact of design. This year, the festival offers an expanded offering of family programming, from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s Teen Design Fair, a family program at the Museum at Eldridge Street, the Queens Foundation for Architecture’s “Architecture for Kids” event at the Queens Historical Society. The Center for Architecture has also grown their family offerings for the month, which will include a Build a LEGO City Family Day and a Build and Wear Halloween Costume workshop.
The Center for Architecture will also host a series of festive, Archtober-branded events for all. During Pumpkitecture, 20 architecture firms will carve pumpkins into architectural works to win the Pritzkerpumpkin. At Curbed Trivia Night, experts will try to stump the audience with questions about architecture, design, and NYC’s built environment. Prizes and bragging rights abound!
Archtober guides will be available at the Center for Architecture, our publicly facing institutional partners, and at select hotels and bookstores across the city. Looking for a book recommendation? Curated shelves, with book selections by Archtober partners, will be up at McNally Jackson and Rizzoli Bookstore.
Visit our website, archtober.org, to see our lineup of events.
About Archtober
New York City’s Architecture and Design Month –presents special tours, lectures, films and exhibitions that focus on the importance of architecture and design in everyday life. Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with partnering organizations across the city, the festival raises awareness of the important role of design in our city and the richness of New York’s built environment. www.archtober.org
Institutional Partners
AIA New York
The Architectural League of New York
Architecture and Design Film Festival
Art Omi
Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Bard Graduate Center
Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
The Brooklyn Heights Association
Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92
Brooklyn Public Library
Building Energy Exchange
Center for Architecture
City College of New York, Spitzer School of Architecture
Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Culture Now
Danish Cleantech Hub
DOCOMOMO New York Tri-State
Finnish Cultural Institute in New York
Four Freedoms Park Conservancy
Fraunces Tavern Museum
General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA
The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York
The Glass House
Grace Farms Foundation
Hispanic Society of America
Historic House Trust of NYC
Hudson Square Business Improvement District
The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, The Cooper Union
Japan Society
Judd Foundation
Loisaida Center
Met Breuer
Merchant’s House Museum
Municipal Art Society of New York
Museum of the City of New York
Museum at Eldridge Street
Museum of Modern Art
New York Botanical Garden
New York Institute of Technology
New York Landmarks Conservancy
New York Passive House
New York Public Library
New York School of Interior Design
nycobaNOMA
NYU M.A. in Historical and Sustainable Architecture
Open House New York
Pratt Institute
Prospect Part Alliance
Queens Foundation for Architecture
Queens Public Library
The School of Constructed Environments at Parsons School of Design
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, Parsons School of Design
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
South Street Seaport Museum
Statue of Liberty Museum
Syracuse University
Tenement Museum
UN-Habitat
Urban Archive
Urban Democracy Lab at NYU Gallatin
Urban Green Council
Van Alen Institute
Vilcek Foundaton
Villlage Alliance
Village Preservation
Wave Hill
Professional Partners
A/D/O
Bespoke Careers
Classic Harbor Line
Cosentino
Freebird Books
Havwoods
The Janus Property Company
The Lit. Bar
McNally Jackson
Phaidon
Printed Matter
Rizzoli Bookstore
Tra Publishing
USM
Archtober is made possible in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Archtober is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Benefactor
Kramer Levin
Sponsor
The IDC Foundation
Presenting Media Partner
Metropolis
Media Partners
Architectural Record
The Architect’s Newspaper
Azure
Interior Design
Digital Media Partners
6sqft
AD Pro
ArchDaily
Archinect
Bustler
Curbed
Designboom
Design Milk
The Plan
The Real Deal
Untapped New York