Inside NYC’s Holographic Studios, a Gallery and Laser Laboratory with NY Adventure Club

On 26th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues is the Holographic Studio, one of the more obscure, off-the-beaten path museum-like spots in New York City. The Holographic Studios is a gallery and laser laboratory run by Jason Sapan, an expert in holography who worked with laser technologies for Bell Labs in the 1960s. The Holographic Studio is the only known storefront holography gallery and laboratory in the world. It’s also the oldest holographic gallery in the world, and the laboratory sits in subterranean space below. The New York Adventure Club took a private tour of the space, in a building that was once home to a blacksmith, and later a Medical Instruments manufacturer that made OBGYN products for Bellevue Hospital nearby.

Some fun facts learned on the visit:

• A hologram the size of the human brain could hold every piece of written information recorded throughout human history
• A hologram cannot come out blurry, though it can develop too dim or too bright

Jason Sapan (aka Dr. Laser) was once commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei to create a hologram of his palace. He’s also done portraits of Andy Warhol, Isaac Asimov and Phyllis Diller. Today, you can still commission a hologram, or a mass run of holograms from the Holographic Studio, as well as schedule tours of the space. The New York Adventure Club will be heading back to the space for a tour in March so stay tuned!

Check out 10 more obscure museums in NYC.