David Geffen Hall Exterior Credit: Michael Moran
Explorations of 2023 MASterworks Award Winners allow New Yorkers to experience the city’s best new projects in architecture and design
In celebration of design excellence in New York City, The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) recently announced the winners of its annual 2023 MASterworks Awards. The awards honor the best new spaces and buildings completed in 2022, making for great new additions to New York City’s public realm. MAS has curated a selection of in-person explorations and online in-conversations with this year’s honored projects. All explorations will be led by the design teams and staff responsible for each of the winning projects.
Here is the schedule of explorations and conversations for this year’s award winners:
Staten Island Animal Care Center — Winner for Best New Building
October 20, 12-1 PM
Team members from Garrison Architects, the design team behind the project, will present a virtual tour of the center and then engage in conversation about how the project came to be. MAS President, Elizabeth Goldstein, will moderate this conversation. Staten Island Animal Care Center creates a humane and controlled environment for animals awaiting adoption. An innovative, sleek structure, it maximizes natural light, creating a great living environment for animals and excellent work environment for staff. Learn more about the center here. Learn more about New York City’s animal care centers here.
Powerhouse Arts — Winner for Best New Urban Amenity
October 23, 11-12:30 PM
(SOLD OUT)
Explore this former powerstation for the BRT train system, which has been transformed into a community hub for artistic engagement and expression. As one of the last historic structures on the nearby Gowanus Canal, Powerhouse retains and fosters ongoing manufacturing and artistic activity in the neighborhood. Powerhouse Arts is a not-for-profit organization committed to creative expression, hosting an extended network of art and fabrication professionals and educators who work together to co-create and share artistic practices vital to the wellbeing of artists and the communities to which they belong. Learn more here.
THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT. Those interested may register for the waitlist. Email events@mas.org with any questions.
David Geffen Hall — Winner for Best Restoration
October 25, 6-7 PM
(SOLD OUT)
Explore the newly restored David Geffen Hall’s Concert Hall and Public Spaces. The event will begin in the lobby and enact the full concert-going experience highlighting what was there, and how the interior was re-shaped — reconceiving the entire facility within its historic façades — to accomplish Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic’s collective goals. The renovation of David Geffen Hall, the home of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, modernized the venue’s main concert hall, Wu Tsai Theater, and improved the public spaces surrounding it. Learn more about the space and upcoming programming here.
THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT. Those interested may register for the waitlist. Email events@mas.org with any questions.
Battery Playscape — Winner for Best Urban Landscape
October 26, 10-11 AM
Explore how the innovative play area came to be. Located on the Battery, the play area is a dynamic confluence of water and land. Conceived after Hurricane Sandy, it responds to the site’s past and future flooding by telling the story of resilience, interwoven with play. Representing their teams, Jeffrey Poor from Starr Whitehouse and Joan Krevlin and Harpreet Dhaliwal from BKSK will lead the exploration. Read more about the project here.
About The Municipal Art Society of New York
The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) lifts up the voices of the people in the debates that shape New York’s built environment and leads the way toward a more livable city from sidewalk to skyline. MAS envisions a future in which all New Yorkers share in the richness of city life—where growth is balanced, character endures, and a resilient future is secured. Over more than 130 years of history, our advocacy efforts have led to the creation of the New York City Planning Commission, Public Design Commission, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the Tribute in Light; the preservation of Grand Central Terminal, the lights of Times Square, and the Garment District; the conservation of more than 50 works of public art; and the founding of such civic organizations as the Public Art Fund, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, P.S. 1, the Historic Districts Council, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, and the Waterfront Alliance.
