OHNY Wrap-Up: The City-Wide Citifari Photo Tour

For Open House New York (OHNY) this year, photography tour company citifari organized a unique behind-the-scenes photography tour with the goal of providing great photo opportunities to tour participants. Citifari tailored a schedule with the aim of learning, exploring and photographing New York City’s built environment. The sites were chosen based on interest, photo opportunities, location and availability. We began at 9 am with cameras, full loads of batteries and plenty of memory cards.

Presentation of 7 line extension by Dattner’s junior architect

Conference room at the Ford Foundation

The first stop on the schedule was 505 Fifth avenue. The building was constructed in 2005 by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF). The 26-story, glass-clad building’s entrance lobby was designed in collaboration with artist James Turrell. The dynamic design turns the space into a three-dimensional light sculpture that continuously transforms itself over the course of the day. Afterwards, our day took us to the BMW, the Ford Foundation, the Japan Society, CFDA Fashion Incubator and Datter Architects.

Architecture firm representative presenting CFDA

Guided tour of the fashion designers’ shops in CDFA incubator

Each location had unique architectural characteristics. 505 Fifth had a unique spacey atmosphere; the Ford Foundation featured interior gardens and a concerted conservation of original carpentry and furniture; the organization of space at the Japan Society reminded us of Japanese gardens. We also checked out the current exhibit, Fiber Futures: Japan’s Textile Pioneers. The CDFA fashion incubator provides a versatile environment for eight carefully selected designers. At Dattner, we were impressed by the passion of the architect who led the tour.

Murals in Ford Foundation’s conference room

The lobby of 505 Fifth

OHNY was the opportunity to learn about New York City’s history and future. Next year, citifari will offer its photo tours for the 10th anniversary of OHNY.