New York City’s last remaining wooden water tower builders are like the "Hatfields and the McCoys – and we’re the real McCoy," according to Andy Rosenwach, owner of the Rosenwach Tank Company. In that analogy, his rival would be Isseks Brothers, founded in 1890. The Rosenwach company officially formed in 1896, when Andy’s ancestor Harris Rosenwach, a Polish immigrant, bought the business from the widow of his deceased boss, barrel maker William Dalton. Indoor......

Mayor Bloomberg's plans for making the city more habitable over the next 25 years include more than just planting a million trees in the next decade. They also involve reopening the High Bridge in Harlem and the McCarren Park Pool, which has lately served as a summer music venue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The High Bridge, the city’s oldest standing bridge, will get a $65 million face-lift over about two years beginning in 2008, said......

We got a peek at the newly named Philip Johnson Terrace, part of Museum Tower, the Cesar Pelli-designed residential building next to the Museum of Modern Art (Pelli designed the new federal courthouse in downtown Brooklyn). Formerly the museum's roof, the eighth floor space, designed by Francois de Menil, features a stone floor and a steel pavilion with perforated sheets in the spirit of modernists Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe. Acquired by......

Listen, we love contemporary American sculpture as much as the next guy, but when we heard that Larry Gagosian paid more than twenty-three million dollars for this David Smith sculpture (Cubi XXVII), we threw up a little bit in our mouth. You could make a better metal sculpture by stacking up silver kitchen parts from the Bowery, for godsakes! We're sure Larry did it as an investment, but we hope that he doesn't have to......

And like that Open House New York is over(ish). Our general impression has been that the rain and icky weather really kept people away this year. But that's just our impression. Anyone have any good stories? Take, or find, any good pictures? That's what comments are for. In the meantime, if you're already thinking about what in the world you are going to do next week might we point this out to you. As......

We might have mentioned this before, but in case you missed it, here goes. Today, rain or shine (or, uh, rain), is the beginning of Open House New York, the one weekend of the year when hundreds of generally inaccessible places around New York get opened up to the public. It's really pretty awesome and worth your taking advantage of. And if you bring your digital camera (or your old fashioned one for that matter)......

It goes without saying that New York City is chock full of amazing buildings and spaces. And many of them aren't normally open to the public. But this weekend you can visit over 100 places throughout the five boroughs, free of charge, during the Second Annual Open House New York. From self-guided tours to discussions with designers, OHNY offers a rare glimpse into your fair city. Detailed information about each site - day(s) of......

This weekend New Yorkers get the chance to explore private and public buildings through Openhousenewyork, which runs this Saturday and Sunday, October 11-12. With over 80 sites over the five boroughs open for visits and tours, Open House New York's explains why: - Let’s showcase New York City as the strong, dynamic and creative community we know and love. - Let’s open our minds to the wonders of the city that surrounds us. -......