Openhouse Gallery

I was scouting one of Openhouse’s spaces as a venue for a pop up location. After speaking with them for over one month and arranging multiple visits we were ready to sign a contract. Their manager then told me that they were booked, not just for the dates we wanted, but for the next two months. I wasted hours of time and energy working to secure a location that wasn’t even available despite clear communication on our dates. Not a great way to do business.

As a consumer, OpenHouse is all well and good with cool popup events happening here regularly.
If you’re someone thinking of hosting a popup, ESPECIALLY one with food and/​or are a small business owner, stay as far away as you possibly can.
Without going into too much detail, I hosted a 100-​person dinner through OpenHouse last year at their Bowery Station location. From the get-​go things were confusing, priced incorrectly online, the event planner (s) completely useless /​borderline hostile and lied about many things small and large (everything from how many Square readers they had to how to handle garbage collection at the end of the night). Upper management simply did not care at all and never intervened. Despite a very successful event, because OpenHouse’s rates and planning was so miserably subpar we lost a LOT, I mean a LOT of money.
I don’t feel the need to rant on and on about how crappy the experience is but I will say this. If you are considering renting out OpenHouse for your own event, please feel free to CONTACT ME personally so I can tell you more about it. Because I truly care that much that no other small business owner ever — EVER — gives that place their hard earned money ever again.

This space is not a secret anymore, It is a well known event planner spot. KLM Pop Up Shop was there this past weekend. Got to Royal Dutch Airlines exhibits, drawings and some other stuff. It was a free and interactive experience the best of Dutch culture through music, food, art & design. There was a Waffle Happy Hour, it was 1pm to 2 everyday. Live art installation got to see on Saturday. There was a Heineken Happy Hour, 5 to 6pm and 5 to 7pm the last day. It was one per person free Heineken deal, but I got two the person with me was not a drinker. Free Dutch coffee tasted good, Raffle tickets for a free trip this week to some Dutch music festival and there was a Kiddie Korner to keep the young ones entertained. Will be back to this space soon I am sure for something.

Solid space. Great layout for events and pop-​ups!

Loved this place when it was the Pop Up Park! My best friend from my childhood came to see me during the winter when we had an unexpected snowstorm. We got sick of the snow and ended up wandering into this place. Loved it. Pop Up Park seemed like a good place to go to for all ages. Very cute décor, bathrooms were clean. There were many people here laying out on the «grass» as if it were Sheep Meadow — too cute.

This place is a spot that can be transformed into anything for events, parties, etc. I came here for a pop up nail shop offered by Melody Ehsani and NUVO on a Saturday. It’s very open, very white and has a lot of natural lighting. It has a decent bathroom and is even wheelchair accessible. I would love to come back here when it is transformed into an indoor park. You really can’t complain with the building space since the vendors or who ever is renting the Gallery at the time makes your experience.

Was here for a Nuvo Nail Bar pop up shop collab with Melody Ehsani. Nonstop drinks and gel manis. Plus I got to meet Mel (:

Food, shopping, art, and green space. What is not to love about Openhouse Gallery?
This space can be transformed into anything and each event I have attended has been worthwhile. Like many of the other Unilocalers, I, too, experienced the indoor park space. I loved it. I got to relax a little while sitting in a space with air conditioning. I also munched on boozy cupcakes. Openhouse is good with that– bringing in outside vendors to sell yummy things.
I have ventured in to Openhouse during many weekends in Soho and Nolita. They do a lot of pop up sample sales. Not anything practical to wear but good to scope out what is happening in the fashion world.
I have also been to Openhouse’s food events. The night pop up market could use a little work but still it was great fun. Just put a shaved ice machine in the mix and it will be great fun always. Most recently, I attended Openhouse’s Big Cheesy event. This, I was super impressed with. Not crowded at all and excellent grilled cheese options. I’d go again if I had the money to spare.
One thing I rarely see at Openhouse is art. Maybe I just miss it but I won’t complain too much. This spot is always on my radar. Always something cool going on.

I came here for an exhibit curated by a friend from college (Haley B!
)
When I walked in, the first thing I thought was, «Wow, I love this space!» Super high ceilings, bright white walls for this event, and multiple rooms. There was the main floor you walk into, a larger room down a few stairs, and then a smaller side room where there was a bar and some live music. The space also has water closets and a coat check.
I know that it changes every couple of months, depending on what is going on, but this would be a cool space to rent for exhibits or parties. And it’s pretty close to a subway!

Lest you think all I ever do is drink and eat, I thought I’d change it up and write a review of this little pop up indoor park. There are not many non eating/​drinking places to take young children in NYC. That’s why I suggested the Openhouse Gallery. Lots of kids, I think all the kids under the age of eight in Manhattan we’re here. It’s a nice place to hide away from the rain and the cold if you have a couple of hours to spare.
A bit cheesey with the plastic plants but kids don’t seem to notice and best of all, it’s free.

I absolutely adore this venue. It’s certainly not your average gallery. I’ve been to a couple events here (The Big Cheesy and The Nutropolitan Museum of Art) and I look forward to many more. It’s a fun space that transforms into any and everything imaginable from a park to a gallery to a retail store. There’s really no better way to spend an afternoon.
If you missed The Big Cheesy this year, I highly recommend getting tickets early next year. It’s a blast!

What do wealthy Manhattanites do with an empty basement on a luxury soho block? Build an indoor park with plastic plants, that’s what ! Let’s also call it art, that’ll make it cooler. lol
I was rather underwhelmed by the place. The beanbags looked comfy, but otherwise it just had the odd feeling of being in a movie set and pretending it was real. Weird.

I heard a lot about this place. It didn’t quite live up to the hype, but it was interesting. I mean, only in NYC do we dream up the idea to have a pop up indoor park with fake grass, fake trees, fake flowers. And what’s even weirder? There was some bondage photo shoot going on. Only in Gotham, I tell you.
It was nice and warm in here, so I can definitely see people coming here to get out of the cold. There are plenty of bean bags, pillows, air beds for you to lounge on and hang out. It would be a great date spot. Bring a game of Connect Four and get your childhood games on!
The website promised food vendors, but when we came on a Sunday afternoon, none were to be found. Party fail. There was no beer either. Double fail.
I like the concept as there was a fountain in the entrance and the fake grass still made me all giddy inside. There is also an elephant statue, and I got to ride it. So, bring your friends, your picnic basket and games, and hang out here for hours in a fake Utopia in the concrete Jungle!

Note: The following review pertains to the indoor pop-​up park at the Openhouse Gallery.
Allow me to clarify for you folks. You may give winter your middle finger but this ain’t the real flora and fauna. There’s neither fresh air nor the aromatic smell of trees but feel free to suck up the syntheticity of plasticity galore in this non-​ventilated gallery building. The park has green custom-​made grass but it ain’t plush. There’s foliage but it ain’t beautiful. There’s a few beat-​up bean bags but there’s only one hammock.
Adding to the surprise was the slow wifi service, the one and only coffee vendor, the one and only cold beverage vendor and the one and only dessert vendor.
Best part is, the free admission and heat conditioning. Enjoy!

Free space.
Bring your own coffee or bubbletea.
Read.
Browse the net.
I’m not a germaphobe, but I wouldn’t lie down on any of the mats as their shared by many and I don’t know if they’ve been sanitized.
*You might get sick from all the lubby dubby couples who come here to cuddle.

Just another one of those cool things to do that you happen upon by accident while wandering around NYC! Love when you can discover something totally unexpected that is both fun and free!
This Pop Up Park is basically a fake indoor garden with benches and bean bag pillows to hang out on and escape the cold weather. Artificial grass, benches, trees, plants, fake rocks, forest mural wallpaper, fountains, and it’s all indoors! There are even two nice clean bathrooms to use. Walking in you feel as if you are entering into a lush outdoor park.
When we came here a few days ago it was cold out so it was a pleasure to hang out on a bench, warm up, and relax a bit. There is a very cool rock n’ roll photography exhibit on one of the walls featuring the photographs of Baron Wolman, as featured in Rolling Stone magazine. Side by side is the original page from the magazine, another is the actual outtake picture from the session. Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin are among the iconic music figures represented here. Very cool indeed. Rolling Stone magazines are also distributed to read and take home.
On certain days there are also a few food vendors here, and yoga mornings for moms.
The event space itself is spacious and calming. It’s a neat spot to people watch, grab a bathroom break, or lay down and take a nap. Just get over the moldy plastic smell that hits you when you first walk in, and the throngs of annoying tourists that have seemed to have found out about this spot. It will be closing up soon so be sure to check it out.
Open daily 12PM — 8PM, December 5^th — February 15^th

Popups. Events. Experiential Marketing. These are the words that greet a visitor to the Openhouse website.
The first sounds like something I need to block in my web browser or a tv show on VH1 from the 90’s. The third sounds like a new age business guru’s term.
I know what an event is and I attend one yesterday at the Openhouse Gallery. It was a charity art auction for the SEAL group.
And open does accurately describe the event space. Plenty of natural and un-​natural but natural-​esque lighting aided in my appreciation of the various works of art on display. It’s an airy, high ceiling experience with enough room to comfortably mingle.
What I didn’t like was the presence of only one bathroom, especially at an event in which food and wine are served (Hats off to Illili for the catered Lebanese treats)
The acoustics were also well established when a microphone was in use. No trouble hearing throughout the space.
If I were in need for a space for a pop-​up or an event, I’d give consideration to the Openhouse gallery.

I’d first come here with my mentee for the Park Here pop up park exhibit. It seemed like a good compromise given it was below 20 degrees and she wanted to go to the park.
So… the first room was kind of cute, all these families with their strollers parked in the corners, and vendors with their tables selling local food. The adjacent room reeked, and much to my then seven-​year-​old mentee’s dismay, they were «omigod! they’re K-​I-​S-​S-​I-​N-​G» all over the place and it smelled like raging hormones.
A few weeks later, I passed by Openhouse with a few friends when they were doing the Nutropolitan Museum Exhibit sponsored by the Peanut Butter Co. It was really cool, there were beelines for all sorts of peanut butter manifestations, as well as the art of peanut butter portraits on the walls. The best part was getting to donate some money to the Food Bank and walking out with gift bags: free jars of Peanut Butter Co peanut butter. Mine was cinnamon raisin. It’s been 6 days and the jar’s empty.

I went here today for the Pop Up Park exhibit. It’s winter here in the city and it’s not fun to hangout at the park. It’s great to be indoors, but it also depends where. Downtown is very laid back and there is always a place to hangout at. This ideal was phenomenal!
Indoor= check
artificial grass=check
benches= check
trees= check
Idea of having an indoor park, relaxation with fake grass/​trees/​wallaper= BRILLIANT!
Going inside makes you feel like your in Central Park. The trees, leaves and the grass. Makes you feel relaxed and it makes you forget that it’s 26 degrees outside.
All in all it’s a great concept and can’t wait to see what comes next…

I came here for the current «show» of Park Here, a really innovative indoor space that has been decorated — including smells! — to look like a forest. Totally free. And warm. A great hideout from the New York City streets.
The weekend hours include vendors from places like Luke’s Lobster and Mexicue. On the weekdays, there are free and paid classes like for yoga and bocce ball.
This is even an awesome place just to work on your laptop, take a nap, bring a picnic.
Check it out before the end of January!