The Upper East Side of Manhattan has more than its share of world-renowned museums; 5th Avenue alone is home to the Metropolitan and the Guggenheim, as well as smaller but no less impressive gems like the Neue Galerie and the Jewish Museum. But Park Avenue boasts a recently revived historic space that has become a hot spot in the contemporary art world, all while preserving its fascinating history and extraordinary architecture: The Seventh Regiment Armory.
Occupying a full block on Park Avenue between 66th and 67th Streets, the Armory is home to design fairs, site-specific art installations, and path-breaking theater and music performances. It may look like a castle from the outside, but it’s much more interesting. With such a robust calendar of programming and projects, the Armory is fast becoming one of the top cultural centers serving the needs of this neighborhood, from the long-time residents of Park Avenue’s prewar towers, to the young families moving into new Upper East Side condos.
The Gothic Revival-style building was designed by architect Charles W. Clinton, and built by the Seventh Regiment of the National Guard in 1881. The Seventh Regiment was the first volunteer militia to respond to President Lincoln’s call for troops at the outset of the Civil War in 1861, and included men from some of New York’s most prominent families: Vanderbilts, Van Rensselaers, Roosevelts, Livingstons and Harrimans were all among its ranks. Not unlike the Union League in Philadelphia, the Armory functioned as both a military facility and a genteel social club. The top designers of the day lent their talents to the Armory’s lavish interior: The reception rooms on the first floor and the company rooms on the second floor were styled and decorated by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, the Herter Brothers, and Pottier & Stymus. The Veterans Room and the library next door to it are the only fully preserved interiors by Louis C. Tiffany & Associated Artists in the world. In typical Gilded Age style, the rooms’ décor comprises an eccentric mixture of Islamic, East Asian and Celtic design elements, with iridescent blue tiles surrounding the fireplace, complex decorative ironwork throughout, and a coffered ceiling with an inlaid pattern reminiscent of ancient Irish metalwork.
The Armory’s real showstopper, at least in terms of sheer scale, is the 55,000 square foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall. The drill hall was (and still is) a wonder of architectural engineering, and calls to mind the dazzling enclosed spaces of great 19th century European train stations. Like many large historic buildings, the Armory suffered from several decades of neglect towards the end of the 20th century, and it wasn’t always clear how best to both protect and utilize this unique space. Happily, the not-for-profit Park Avenue Armory Conservancy was formed to spearhead the preservation effort, and in 2006 they took the building over, signing a 99-year lease with the State of New York. The Conservancy has done much more than “conserve,” however: In addition to embarking on a 200 million dollar renovation of the Armory’s physical plant, they have developed a rich slate of cultural offerings, making clever use of the drill hall’s massive size and luminous skylights.
Along with concerts and performances, the Conservancy has staged some major art installations that have been both critically acclaimed and popular with the general public. Highlights have included the Royal Shakespeare Company’s six-week residency in 2011, during which their theater was rebuilt in the drill hall, and artist Ann Hamilton’s multi-media installation “The Event of a Thread,” which memorably included gigantic swings suspended from the ceiling which visitors were welcome to try. This fall, the Armory will present Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in collaboration with Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. In this unusual staging of work, director Peter Sellars makes use of the flexible drill hall space to remove the traditional barrier between artist and audience in a radical restaging of the Passion narrative. Acclaimed conductor Simon Rattle will lead the Berliner Philharmoniker and a cast of soloists in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music.
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