Open House New York (OHNY) is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization[3] that hosts educational programs to promote awareness and appreciation of New York's architecture, design and cultural heritage. In addition to behind the scenes looks at iconic buildings,[5] the Festival also provides access to organizations that are not regularly open to the public.[6]
History
The first-ever OHNY Weekend took place on October 11 and 12, 2003. By the 7th festival in 2009, it had grown to 185,000 visitors to more than 190 sites.[citation needed] OHNY offered 130 free of charge tours, workshops and onsite talks. 125 art, civic, educational and cultural organizations and 70 architecture and design firms participated.[citation needed] The 13th edition and 14th editions, in 2015 and 2016, respectively, included a photo contest in partnership with Wikipedia. Three prizes were awarded.[7][8]
In the spirit of accessibility, in 2022 Open House New York introduced lottery-based access that eliminated the reservation fee to access many participating sites.[9]