Comments Off on Leadership transition at Open House New York
Dear Open House New Yorkers:
On behalf of the board of Open House New York, I am writing to announce that Pamela Puchalski has stepped down from her position as Executive Director of the organization. Kristin LaBuz, OHNY’s Deputy Director, has assumed the role of Interim Executive Director.
We are deeply grateful for Pamela’s leadership and commend her ability to steer the organization through waves of pandemic-related turbulence and strengthen OHNY’s financial positioning and relevance as a civic organization. In her three years at the helm, Pamela oversaw an expanded mission that unlocked new opportunities for programmatic impact while building organizational capacity and making critical infrastructure investments.
Her signature accomplishments include:
Shepherding a values-driven strategic planning process to align programs and organizational structure with an equity agenda that raises Open House New York’s profile and expands its reach.
Diversifying and expanding OHNY’s funding base, including securing the organization’s first six-figure grant in more than a decade and implementing new fundraising strategies that increased gala revenue by nearly 50%.
Leveraging new technologies to lead the development of the OHNY Weekend lottery system. Notably, New York is the only city in the Open House Worldwide network that has built this kind of equitable platform for distributing high-demand festival tickets.
Launching Public Policy Talks, a new program series about how new and evolving public policies impact the quality of place. Recently featured speakers include the commissioners and senior staff of the NYC Department of City Planning, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the NYC Department of Transportation, and the NYC Public Design Commission.
Coming off a record-breaking 2023 Open House New York Weekend, which delivered 1,448 hours of free public programming, while reaching New Yorkers in 84% of the city’s zip codes, the commitment to our mission and our community remains steadfast.
In the weeks and months ahead, our team will continue to deliver programming that promotes broad, public access to the city through talks, tours, workshops, and more.
We wish Pamela the best as she returns to her consulting practice and look forward to Open House New York’s next chapter.
With gratitude,
Sara Lopergolo Chair, Board of Directors Open House New York
Comments Off on Understanding and Tolerance: The Fundamentals of Openness
New York is a city that has long been defined by its diversity and tolerance.
The tragedy unfolding in the Middle East is upending our sense of safety and unity here in the five boroughs. As many of our fellow New Yorkers experience the tragic loss of friends or family in Israel and Gaza, Open House New York asks each of you to hold fast to the spirit of cohesion and openness that defines our great city.
OHNY Weekend was founded in the wake of 9/11 when much of our city was shutting itself off. At the core of our work is a repudiation of closed doors—and the closed minds at their root.
OHNY firmly believes that the act of opening places for broad public access not only feeds a sense of belonging, opening doors to others also nurtures an understanding of differences. We open doors as a way of opening our minds and hearts to one another.
In the face of violence enveloping Israelis and Palestinians, let’s remind ourselves that openness is a choice. It must be stewarded with acts big and small. OHNY invites each and every one of us to do everything we can to foster an open and tolerant city.
Comments Off on Meet Maheen Ghuman, Bloomberg Arts Intern
What excites you about interning at Open House New York?
What excites me the most about interning at Open House New York is getting an opportunity to learn about and explore the city where I was raised. I want to be able to know all the places that surround me and take my family or friends there. I don’t want to feel as though I am a tourist or a foreigner in my own city. I hope to be able to connect with my fellow interns who I am able to find a lot of surprising commonalities with and build bonds through the mutual need to know more.
What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?
Coney Island is my favorite neighborhood. It is not only where I grew up but it was where I first confronted the identity of being a New Yorker by living in a diverse and vibrant environment. One of the things I loved most was the accessibility to a variety of things including amusement parks, beaches, trains, stores, etc. Now, through my work with OHNY, I hope to continue to expand the broaden the scope of that feeling of exploration.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In five years, my vision is to be doing something that brings me joy and makes me feel content. Currently, I have lots of uncertainty about my future and the career path I want to take. However, as I explore this city, I am reminded of the many possibilities that lie ahead. Although the future is very daunting, I hope that in the next five years, I will have a bachelor’s degree, be surrounded by supportive people, and trying new things.
If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?
I would choose to unlock the City Hall Subway Station. I have always had an appreciation for trains because they make transportation for me easier and open up the city. Therefore, being able to see the train station and the unique architecture inside would intrigue me.
Bloomberg Arts Internship
The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Comments Off on Meet Izzy Brown, Bloomberg Arts Intern
What excites you about interning at Open House New York?
I’m really excited to see how OHNY finds places in NYC and how they organize events in those places.
What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?
Greenwich Village, it’s like the more quiet version of NYC. With the forestation covering the brownstones and the beautifully designed buildings I would love to live there.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I really do not know where I see myself anywhere particularly in 5 years mainly because I have so many aves of interest. While I do see myself pursuing botany and fine art, I don’t have any specific jobs I see myself in at the moment.
If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?
Dream Downtown. I have never seen the inside I’ve just always thought it was really cool.
Bloomberg Arts Internship
The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Comments Off on Meet Cameron Doogan, Bloomberg Arts Intern
What excites you about interning at Open House New York?
One thing that excites me about working at Open House New York is I will get to learn about many of the cultural and historical sites of the city. A common sentiment that I have heard among people that have lived in NYC for many years is: going to museums and monuments like the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building is only for tourists. This has stopped me from exploring the City in the past. This is why I am excited that Open House New York could break down this idea.
What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?
My favorite place in New York is the Museum of Natural History. Although in recent years I haven’t been there many times, I loved to visit it with my family as a child. The stuffed animals and dinosaur skeletons always fascinated me and it was always incredibly fun to go.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In five years I see myself as someone who just graduated college. My goal is to graduate with a BFA and pursue art is a graphic novelist. At this time five years from now I see myself at an internship at a publishing company such as Viz Media or Dark Horse Comics.
If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?
I would ‘unlock’ Radio City Music hall because although it is very open to the public –with shows happening all the time–I have always wondered what was behind the scenes and even under the stages.
Bloomberg Arts Internship
The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Comments Off on Meet Iuliia Batorova, Bloomberg Arts Intern
What excites you about interning at Open House New York?
What excites me about interning at open House New York is that it is an internship in a professional setting, and grants access to many places in NYC I haven’t been to or didn’t even know about before.
What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?
I would say my favorite place in NYC is Flushing Main Street simply because ever since I came to America, I’ve always lived near it, and it’s one of the places I got to explore a lot by myself or with friends. It’s painfully crowded at times, but I just came to love it and get comfortable with it. I’m really content with going all around it even if I’ve been there way too much already.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I think in 5 years I see myself doing something at least vaguely related to art. Perhaps advertising because it interests me as a career choice with art on the side, if not having art as a main choice. I could also go into a job as a psychologist or an ophthalmologist since both are also career choices that I’m interested in.
If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?
I don’t know many places in New York in general, but I think somewhere that’s interesting is the North and South Brother Islands simply because of the history surrounding WWll and because they’re islands they already piqued my interest.
Bloomberg Arts Internship
The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Comments Off on Meet Rezeea Alam, Bloomberg Arts Intern
Hello, my name is Rezeea Alam, and I am from Thomas Edison Career and Technical Highschool in Queens!
What excites you about interning at Open House New York?
Something that excites me is learning more about the city I live in. I’ve been to various different places in the city, yet somehow, I feel like there are so many places I have missed out on or never really learned about.
What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?
So far, I really like Soho. Soho is such a nice and beautiful neighborhood to be in. There are nice cafes and restaurants and aesthetic places everywhere.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I will probably just be finishing college, and I see myself working. Hopefully I will have a set career path I want to do since I am still undecided.
If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?
I would unlock The Met. The Met is just one of my favorite buildings ever, and every time I go I see a different, new exhibit that I never seen before.
Bloomberg Arts Internship
The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Comments Off on Meet Philip Schmerbeck, Herzog & de Meuron
On May 18, the 2023 Open City Benefit will bring together hundreds of New Yorkers for a festive evening at Powerhouse Arts—a 117-year-old power plant that has been transformed into a contemporary art center and fabrication space on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. At the event, we will confer the Open City Award to the design and development team behind Powerhouse Arts led by Herzog & de Meuron, PBDW Architects, Urban Atelier Group, Buro Happold Engineering, Silman, and Ken Smith Workshop.
Philip Schmerbeck, Associate at Herzog & de Meuron, shares about the team effort required to bring the project to life and how he hopes the building will benefit local artists and the Gowanus community for years to come.
Tell us what role you played and what it was like to work on this transformative project
As a resident of Brooklyn for the past 24 years, the area of the Gowanus and the Powerhouse site has been an important neighborhood for me and the creative community in my life over the past decades. It was clear from my first official step onto the project site in late 2015 that this would be an exciting journey. I have had the honor of acting as the Project Director for Herzog & de Meuron, leading the design effort for the project from the initial concepts and feasibility, through the design and research phases, and unto the present construction completion.
A project of this historic resonance and environmental sensitivity also demanded a forensic process as much as a conceptual one. This was a dream project for someone who loves spending time in the field – and there was a lot of watching and learning from active art workshops throughout the neighborhood and the city, coupled with the need to decipher clues from the existing fabric of the building and site in order to unlock its potential to be reactivated. Being exposed to so much hands-on in-person learning shoulder to shoulder with our client and collaborators was a rewarding experience, and all this rich feedback was in turn fed directly into the design real-time.
Tell us about the team effort required to bring this project to life
A project like this required a highly skilled team of experts and thinkers. From the start of the project, we worked intimately with the Powerhouse and the vision they had incubated prior to choosing a design lead, to ensure we invited collaborators to the table which we have enjoyed successful working relationships with previously, on similarly complex design challenges here in the city. Bringing a relic from New York’s early industrial beginnings up to modern and hygienic standards also meant very careful coordination between, contractors, consultants and engineers to ensure our collective efforts would not erase the magic of the place as we found it. Design occurred on our feet, with in-situ testing, one-to-one physical mock-ups, and detailed site observations as much as it happened at our respective drawing boards and studios.
What is your favorite feature of Powerhouse Arts?
It is hard to focus on one aspect, but I would highlight the generous space and resiliency of the ‘forecourt’ – the large open work yard between the Powerhouse and the Canal. It was not immediately obvious that this space, extent from the 1904 masterplan, could be preserved where it was used by the power station as a staging ground for coal received by barge from the canal.
We took this large residual urban open space as-found and raised the elevation to align with the first-floor workshops of the building – at nearly twenty feet above sea-level. This ensured the facility would have additional resiliency as a waterfront property in the city while maintaining more access to the sky. The neighborhood is already seeing the effects of a dramatic zoning transformation where the community’s access to the canal will be increasingly modulated by high density residential high-rises in close proximity to the water’s edge. This space, open to the sky, will provide civic-scaled relief as the waterfront continues to densify along the canal in the coming months. It may also come as a surprise that we took inspiration and cues from the distant reference of the outdoor courtyards of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Spain in our early conceptual studies of the forecourt.
Courtesy of PBDW Architects
“Powerhouse Arts exemplifies a way forward, without having to wipe the slate clean, by building on and enhancing what remains of the past.”
— Philip Schmerbeck, Associate, Studio Director, Herzog & de Meuron
Credit: Albert Vecerka/ESTO
How do you hope this facility will benefit local artists and the surrounding community?
The hope is that this facility will remain a resonant ‘place’ in the neighborhood where industrial functions may continue to have a home at the heart of the Gowanus and the city. Art fabrication is often broken down by individual media and made in separate shops – the Powerhouse Arts is bringing these all under one roof with safe hygienic conditions often difficult to achieve even in an art school. The fabrication shops of the city are disappearing; we hope this project may offset this erosion of light-industrial functions in the neighborhood and maintain a diversity of use-groups for future generations of New Yorkers and artists.
What statement do you think Powerhouse Arts makes about New York and the city’s future?
Anchoring neighborhoods by enhancing their historical and architectural icons is a necessary counter-exercise as the city continues to re-invent itself, densify, and react to powerful and often speculative market forces. Powerhouse Arts exemplifies a way forward, without having to wipe the slate clean, by building on and enhancing what remains of the past. It took the vision and dedication of many people and lots of time, but the pay-off ultimately points to a long-term, full spectrum concept of sustainability which is as much about maintaining communities as it is about finding new and innovative uses for a project’s aging ‘bricks and mortar.’ We wish for the vibrant people and culture already here to remain, along with the renewed industrial buildings they work within.
About Philip
Philip Schmerbeck began his collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron in Basel in 2007 and became an Associate in 2011. Since 2007, he has been the project manager in charge of 56 Leonard, a high-rise residential development in Manhattan. After relocating to the New York office in 2008, he became project manager in charge of the Parrish Art Museum through its completion in 2012. Since this time Philip has maintained oversight of a diverse range of US projects as Project Director in various phases of design including the completion of 215 Chrystie (Public Hotel, New York), 160 Leroy Street (Residential, New York) and CityCenter DC Conrad Hotel.
He is currently overseeing the waterfront project Powerhouse Arts, a contemporary arts fabrication center being completed in Brooklyn, New York, and the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, Tennessee. Through his range of experience he has gained specific knowledge working in residential, cultural, and adaptive re-use of heritage buildings. As of 2022 he has assumed the role of Studio Director USA.
Philip studied Architecture at Mississippi State University, Jackson, Mississippi, USA and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. He collaborated from 2000 to 2001 with the studio of Terence Riley & John Keenen in New York City, and from 2001 to 2007 with 1100 Architect in New York City.
On May 18, the 2023 Open City Benefit will bring together hundreds of New Yorkers for a festive evening at Powerhouse Arts—a 117-year-old power plant that has been transformed into a contemporary art center and fabrication space on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. At the event, we will confer the Open City Award to the design and development team behind Powerhouse Arts led by Herzog & de Meuron, PBDW Architects, Urban Atelier Group, Buro Happold Engineering, Silman, and Ken Smith Workshop.
Ian Booth, Partner at Buro Happold, shares his thoughts about his role in leading the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering for the project and his hope for the impact of the facility on the makers, local artists, and surrounding community.
Tell us what role you played and what it was like to work on this transformative project.
I became involved in the project in October 2018 in the midst of my transition back to New York from Europe. I was excited to be able to attend a project meeting during one of my visits, drawn by the history of the building and the vision Powerhouse Arts had for it. I’ve also worked on many industrial projects throughout my career, so even in that first meeting I was already thinking about the complex systems design challenges we’d be up against in such a unique space. This was a dream project for me.
I started by leading the MEP design and rationalization of the design from the end of the Construction Document (CD) stage, and now I’m watching the building come online, helping with final commissioning and optimization of the MEP systems. It’s been a fascinating challenge and has given me some real insight into Brooklyn’s arts community. I’m thrilled to be a part of the transformation of this Gowanus landmark into a space that is thoughtful, vibrant, and purpose-built for its artists’ comfort and well-being.
Credit: Albert Vecerka/ESTO
What is your favorite feature of Powerhouse Arts?
When I first started working on the project it reminded me of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, also a Buro Happold project, due to the extensive and visible nature of the MEP systems. The story of this building, with its old boiler house and power generators, was always about grand architecture housing engineering. This is an incredibly heavily-serviced building—in particular, the level of MEP and ventilation—and the most complex project in my 35-year career. The architects embraced this by exposing every single MEP system.
I also learned a lot about the landscape of craft during my time working on the project. The Powerhouse Printshop and its team stood out to me, with its passion for the history of print in Brooklyn and its dedication to constantly exchanging ideas with, and building a community amongst, other print shops in the area. It’s one of a vast number of workshops and creative spaces within Powerhouse Arts, and the scope is hard to imagine, but the final result is a world-class facility. It is so rare that we get an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the end users, but we were able to design to cater for their specific needs to create their perfect facilities. Designing systems for the specifications of hundreds of specialists’ equipment resulted in 65 exhaust systems and quite possibly the largest heat pump installation in New York.
All of this resulted in a two-pronged approach to the systems design where our primary considerations were maximization of health and well-being and minimization of energy usage. Creating artist and maker spaces tailored to their users ensured their safety, comfort and enjoyment. On the energy side of things, with the majority of the heating coming from the heat pumps, the Powerhouse building is already primed for electrification. That, combined with designing out mechanical cooling in the majority of the workshops, provides Powerhouse with MEP solutions that meet not only their current requirements, but also look to the future of the space.
Credit: Albert Vecerka/ESTO
“I hope that the future of Powerhouse Arts is one as a creative hive where makers have the space and support needed for their work, as well as access to the community space as a sort of “open door” for the larger surrounding creative community to come in, connect with them, and learn from them.”
– Ian Booth, Partner at Buro Happold
Tell us about the team effort required to manage the many different parts of this project and achieve excellence in design.
Powerhouse Arts is a truly unique space because of its multifunctionality—the workshops, maker spaces, and event space all coexist in this complex, surrounded by a mix of contemporary and historic design elements like the preserved graffiti and exposed infrastructure. The mix of uses required a lot of different systems to work in concert for workshop spaces without impacting the event space experience. This required careful management with the design team, consultants, and contractors to ensure that both workshop and event systems are designed with care and intention. It was equally important that each of the exposed systems fit in seamlessly with the design, adding function and beauty.
As you move through the building, you can really see how much specialist expertise and thoughtful coordination went into making these systems work harmoniously with the space so that they look at home with the historic, industrial details that the design team so carefully preserved. Something like that is only possible when you have a wonderful, collaborative team dedicated to the vision and a hands-on team of expert craftsmen capable of executing it.
How do you hope this facility will benefit local artists and the surrounding community?
At Buro Happold, we are deeply committed to low carbon and sustainable design and are passionate about working on projects and initiatives that lead to real and positive change. We really connected to Powerhouse on this level, and together we designed something that truly looks to the future.
Powerhouse’s vision for society is one where the act of making empowers us to explore potential futures for ourselves as well as our neighbors, and I think the Powerhouse Arts facility is an incredible testament to that vision as well as the power of community and artistic expression. I hope that the future of Powerhouse Arts is one as a creative hive where makers have the space and support needed for their work, as well as access to the community space as a sort of “open door” for the larger surrounding creative community to come in, connect with them, and learn from them.
About Ian
Ian Booth is a partner at Buro Happold and expert in high performance MEP design and commissioning. With more than 35 years of experience, Ian is a proven leader with strong technical abilities who has delivered award-winning project designs. His creative engineering approach has allowed him to explore innovative MEP solutions that incorporate the latest technologies and deliver minimized energy usage. As a dedicated practitioner, Ian is passionate about working with clients who are interested in high performance and future proof engineering solutions. He is leading decarbonization efforts across New York City, including developing innovative solutions to reduce the Empire State building carbon emissions by 80%, an achievement recognized by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority as a winner of the Empire Building Challenge competition.
On May 18, the 2023 Open City Benefit will bring together hundreds of New Yorkers for a festive evening at Powerhouse Arts—a 117-year-old power plant that has been transformed into a contemporary art center and fabrication space on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. At the event, we will confer the Open City Award to the design and development team behind Powerhouse Arts led by Herzog & de Meuron, PBDW Architects, Urban Atelier Group, Buro Happold Engineering, Silman, and Ken Smith Workshop.
James Seger, Partner at PBDW Architects, shares his thoughts about his team’s role as Executive and Preservation Architects on the project and his hopes for how Powerhouse Arts will benefit local artists and the Gowanus community.
Tell us what role you played and what it was like to work on this transformative project.
As a resident of Brooklyn for almost 30 years, the iconic BRT Powerhouse building was always intriguing to me, but it seemed to be an untouchable ruin. Being involved in bringing it back to life was literally a dream come true for me and PBDW—a firm of designers who care deeply about New York City’s architectural heritage. We served as the executive and preservation architect on the project. There was a lot to love about that seemingly indestructible building, but it was actually quite fragile and needed vision and a lot of TLC to make it viable.
Tell us about the team effort required to bring this project to life.
The complex is a celebration of artistry in the craft of building. The structure and infrastructure are largely exposed, so planning and execution were key. Powerhouse Arts, Herzog & de Meuron, PBDW, UAG and all the myriad consultants and hands-on tradespeople collaborated extensively from start of design through the end of construction. Together, we shaped the image and ensured that the highest quality fit and finish of elements was both achievable and practical. And, of course, the project would never have happened without the generous commitment of Joshua Rechnitz and his vision to create space for artists in this unique building.
Credit: Albert Vecerka/ESTO
What is your favorite feature of Powerhouse Arts?
I love that the renovation embraces the Batcave era of the building – when homeless youths took up residence in the abandoned building and adorned nearly every surface with graffiti – and that we didn’t lose the romance of the ruin. It was during that period in the early 2000s that the building became a magnet for artists; the effects of time and neglect changed the meaning of the structure to align with its current use. That is most apparent in the lobby where the original industrial architecture—including its vaulted ceilings, exposed steel beams and columns, and original brick, all decorated with graffiti—is juxtaposed with the raw yet new contemporary elements. The harmonious interplay between old and new really energizes the space.
Batcave, Credit: Max Touhey via Curbed New York
“The building lends authenticity to the rapidly evolving Gowanus district, remaining a majestic outlier amongst its new neighbors. Like any good work of art, it has something to say. Originally conceived to convey the promise of electrification, the powerhouse has evolved, organically and then deliberately, to embody the power of the creative spirit.”
– James Seger, Partner, PBDW Architects
How do you hope this facility will benefit local artists and the surrounding community?
My hope is that the building becomes—indeed, remains—a center of inspiration for the creative community, a place for artists to come together, express themselves, and support each other. The building lends authenticity to the rapidly evolving Gowanus district, remaining a majestic outlier amongst its new neighbors. Like any good work of art, it has something to say. Originally conceived to convey the promise of electrification, the powerhouse has evolved, organically and then deliberately, to embody the power of the creative spirit.
What statement do you think Powerhouse Arts makes about New York and the city’s future?
Artmaking is here to stay in Gowanus. The ability to fabricate art locally is important to maintaining the city’s creative gravitas. Gowanus generally, and the Batcave specifically, have been hotbeds of art production for decades, but the area is rapidly changing and will soon be largely residential. Powerhouse Arts keeps the artistic flame alive in Gowanus and remains a symbol of the area’s storied past while continuing to be an incubator for industry, technology, and creativity.
About James
As an architect practicing in New York City for over 30 years, James Seger has a keen appreciation for the city as an ever-evolving organism, full of opportunity but also in need of caretaking. His firm, PBDW Architects, works to create architecture that invigorates the communities it serves while respecting and acknowledging the importance of New York City’s significant architectural heritage.
Through his work on such venerable buildings as the Park Avenue Armory, the William Goadby Lowe mansion for the Spence School, and Powerhouse Arts, Jim has explored ways that adaptive reuse of buildings can maintain the cultural richness of NYC’s neighborhoods while infusing contemporary uses to maintain their vibrancy. He focuses on helping non-profit cultural, educational and religious organizations further their missions through architecture that both inspires its occupants and gives something back to the community.
Jim is a partner at PBDW Architects. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Mississippi State University and has been a registered architect for 30 years. He is a long-time supporter of numerous civic and advocacy groups including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Humane Society, the Park Slope Civic Council, and Open House New York.
