Open House New York, October 12th - Day 2
Day two started off a bit later after our whirlwind day one. The day began by checking out the Edward Hopper studio exhibit at the NYU Silver School of Social Work on the corner of Washington Square park which was Edward Hopper's live in studio. Edward Hopper was a American realist and most famous for the paintings Nighthawks and Early Sunday Morning. His studio was very simple and it was interesting to see pictures of him at work there. We made a pit stop at Mille-fauille for a coffee while we plotted our next stops. It was hard but we talked out self out of pastries with our coffee. We definitely have to visit again and try some of their gluten free French macaroons.
The next stop was my favorite stop that day. We went to the The Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation in Greenwich Village. Chaim Gross was a sculptor and along with his wife began the foundation in their Greenwich Village townhouse which included his studio. The townhouse was a great space and such an awesome find. The majority of the art is Chaim's work but also includes the couples' vast collection of art. Chaim's sculptures are beautiful and his style is definitely one of a kind. His main medium was wood and in many cases he used the face of his wife for inspiration. The foundation is open to the public, we highly recommend checking out this amazing artist.
Our next stop that day was to the New School for a tour of the University Center which is a certified Green building with a LEED rating of gold. The buildings exterior is very unique in downtown Manhattan and Michele and I have been intrigued on many occasions while walking past it. Not only is the building sustainable but the building generates its own electricity and converts sunlight into energy. The building houses a library, classrooms and a cafeteria as well as dorms. It is set up much like a city with-in a city and is beyond state of the art.
Our final stop that day was Grace Church in the East Village. The church itself is beautiful and modeled in the Gothic revival style. The church was built by James Renwick Jr., who later built St. Patrick's Cathedral. The exterior as well as the interior of the church is gorgeous. They have the biggest pipe organ I have ever seen. It was a great place to sit and rest for a bit and close out the day.