Autumn in New York: Art Deco Weekend 2024

About the Program

The Art Deco Society of New York (ADSNY) invites you to our vibrant, Art Deco capital to enjoy an immersive extended weekend exploring and celebrating New York City’s finest Art Deco creations in midtown Manhattan and beyond. In addition to experiencing New York’s interwar treasures and mementos of Jazz Age culture, we will dine in iconic hotspots that embody our favorite era and be hosted in a home with unmatched views of midtown's seminal Deco skyscrapers.

During this series of stimulating programs—led by acclaimed and award-winning architectural, design, and cultural historians—we delve deep into 1920s and 1930s New York, home to the flapper, the speakeasy, and the belief that anything goes. The weekend focuses on the development of New York’s premier Art Deco skyline, as well as stunning examples of notable Art Deco design in less-well-known Manhattan enclaves. We’ll embark on an all-day tour by motor coach to see the rich architecture and design of Jazz Age Harlem and the stunning Art Deco architecture of famed Rye Playland, which has just completed a magnificent $135 million restoration of its Deco grandeur. Highlights include two special curator-led museum visits, one to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art for a private visit to its Watson Library for a look at Art Deco selections not usually accessible to the public, and the other to the Museum of the City of New York where we will be among the first to tour, with its curator, an all-new exhibition, "Art Deco City."

This fun-filled extended weekend spotlights New York’s embrace of everything au courant during the dizzying heights of hopes and excesses of the 1920s, continuing past the stock market crash of 1929 and into the economic downturn of the Great Depression, which could not stop the spread of the Deco aesthetic. We will see some of New York’s greatest structures, signaling triumph over adversity and embodying the upward thrust of the American spirit. 

Experience this very special weekend, tailored to the Art Deco enthusiast, at the crossroads of the world, where far-flung cultures joined forces, and Art Deco became the rage in all aspects of life and defined New York as the most celebrated modern leader in the world.

There are two options for this year's Autumn in New York Weekend:

Attendees have the option of selecting a Four-Day or Three-Day Autumn in New York experience. The Four-Day program includes a bonus day exploring Midtown Manhattan’s Deco icons. Those who have previously experienced the Art Deco Society of New York’s Midtown explorations may choose to take advantage of the Three-Day Program or opt for the add-on adventure.

Three-Day Program

September 27–29, 2024

Program begins early morning Friday, September 27; attendees are encouraged to arrive Thursday, September 26 for a reception in a private home with a remarkable Deco collection.

Four-Day Program including Midtown Manhattan’s Deco Icons 

September 27–30, 2024
This extended program adds a fourth day, Monday, September 30th, devoted to Midtown Manhattan’s best-known Art Deco skyscrapers.

Highlights Include:

• Immersive tours led by New York's award-winning experts in Art Deco
• Visits to major monuments, as well as delightful Deco surprises
• An in-depth walking tour of Manhattan’s renowned Upper East Side
• A special behind-the-scenes visit to the seldom-seen Art Deco collection at the Metropolitan Museum  of Art's Watson Library
• A guided tour of an all-new Art Deco exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York
• An exploration of the Art Deco gems of the Garment District and Herald Square
• A day-long motor-coach tour of Art Deco landmarks and lesser-known, but equally thrilling, treasures in neighborhoods of northern Manhattan, including stops in Harlem, a curator-led tour of the new exhibition “Art Deco City,” and culminating in a private tour of the newly restored Deco architecture of Rye Playland, one of the few surviving amusement parks from the Jazz Age
• Walking tours of everything from Deco subway power stations on midtown's west side to luxury hotels on the east side
• A pair of rare surviving gates by French iron master Edgar Brandt who designed the now-lost gates of the 1925 Paris Exposition from which Art Deco takes its name
• Dining together in eateries featuring spectacular views and/or ties to 1920s and 30s New York
• A private cocktail reception in a residence boasting unparalleled views of Manhattan's famed Deco skyline

. . . and more!

Welcome Cocktail Reception: Above the Glittering Lights of the City 

September 26, 2024

All attendees are invited to a special evening kicking off our immersive Deco weekend at an exclusive cocktail reception in the private residence of ADSNY's president, which boasts a beautiful collection of Art Deco furnishings and design. A highlight of the setting is its unmatched views of Manhattan's famed Deco gems--the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings--as well as newer buildings of the city's ever-changing skyline.

Friday Morning: Deco Treasures at The Met

September 27, 2024

This morning begins with a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's famed Watson Library, for a special look at treasures from the collection of 1920s and 30s titles not accessible to the general public.

Kenneth Soehner, Arthur K. Watson Chief Librarian and Holly Phillips, Collections Manager for Acquisitions, will host us for a viewing of a selection of the Watson Library’s Art Deco material, featuring catalogs associated with the Paris 1925 World Exposition, including Les Arts décoratifs modernes, Une ambassade française and Le pavillon de l'élégance. The presentation will also include rare trade catalogs published by manufacturers represented at the fairs, such as Lalique, Ruhlmann, Brandt and Sevres, as well as other Art Deco material, including important texts on architecture, jewelry, interior design and American bindings.

Following the tour of the Watson, we will relax over a special seasonal lunch at the exclusive Met Dining Room with spectacular views overlooking Central Park.

Friday Afternoon: Manhattan’s Gold Coast: Upper East Side Walking Tour

Friday September 27, 2024

After our leisurely lunch at the Met, ADSNY’s Vice-President, Anthony W. Robins, author of the award-winning New York Art Deco: A Guide to Gotham’s Jazz Age Architecture, will lead a stroll along Manhattan’s Gold Coast - the Upper East Side – where, tucked among the Beaux-Arts town houses and sedate neo-Georgian apartment buildings, the neighborhood features remarkable examples of the work of some of New York’s best Art Deco architects.

From there, we will return to the host hotel for a quick break before venturing out for a spectacular three-course private dinner at one of New York's legendary eateries, Chez Josephine, celebrating the joie-de-vivre of Jazz Age Paris.

Highlights of Friday Include:

• A private behind-the-scenes visit into the acclaimed Metropolitan Museum's Watson library
• An elegant lunch in the legendary Met Dining Room overlooking Central Park
• A stop at one of Manhattan’s very few Art Deco town houses
• A close look at the elegant Carlyle Hotel
• A visit to an apartment house by Raymond Hood (built for the owner of the Daily News)
• Visits to apartment houses by Sloan & Robertson, Horace Ginsberg and George and Edward Blum—the Blums having designed some of the very first Art Deco apartment buildings anywhere in New York City
• A private dinner at Chez Josephine, the legendary restaurant founded by Josephine Baker’s son Jean-Claude

Saturday Morning: Exploring Art Deco in Harlem

September 28, 2024

Our motor coach departs from the host hotel with architectural historian Matt Postal, our guide for the day. Our first stop will be Harlem Hospital, for a private guided tour of its magnificent murals. Commissioned in the late 1930s by the WPA, the murals were the first major United States government commission awarded to African-American artists. When construction began for the new Harlem Hospital Center, the murals by Charles Alston, Alfred Crimi, Vertis Hayes and Georgette Seabrooke were removed from the old building, conserved, and in 2012 were reinstalled in the center's Mural Pavilion, celebrating the hospital and Harlem's rich African-American history and culture.

After leaving Harlem Hospital, Matt will take us on a bus tour of Harlem Deco, stopping at the 369th Regiment Armory, home to the famed Harlem Hell Fighters, for a tour of this massive facility with impressive Art Deco reliefs. We will also see the Harlem River Houses, one of New York’s first federally funded housing projects, and the Jackie Robinson (Colonial) Park Play Center, a Robert Moses park and pool.

We’ll lunch at one of Harlem's legendary culinary institutions, dining on comfort food that celebrates the roots of American cuisine and the neighborhood’s diverse culinary traditions.

Saturday Afternoon: Museum of the City of New York and Rye Playland

September 28, 2024

To begin our afternoon adventure, we’ll drive to the Museum of the City of New York for a private curator-led tour of a new exhibition: “Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection.”

This exhibition illuminates the key role these postcards played in transforming New York into an international capital during the interwar years. During the 1920s and 1930s, the bold new look of Art Deco heralded New York’s arrival as a cosmopolitan metropolis: a center of architecture, design, fashion, and culture on a par with the great European capitals. At the same time, the picture postcard, a form of modern communication, transmitted vibrant images and messages across the globe. Featuring over 250 postcards, as well as decorative arts, fashion, photography, drawings, and architectural models, “Art Deco City” will immerse visitors in the dazzling style which defined the modern metropolis. The exhibition highlights how these colorful, mass-produced postcards established Art Deco landmarks like the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center as international icons that epitomize the elegance of Midtown Manhattan, echoing the sleek appeal of these monumental structures, which belied the realities of the Great Depression.

Following this immersive private tour, we’ll travel past the northern border of New York City to neighboring Westchester County, seeing important Deco buildings in New Rochelle, before reaching Rye Playland, our destination for our private tour of the just-completed $135 million restoration of the only Art Deco amusement park in America on the National Register of Historic Places. Our tour will be led by Barbara Davis, Co-Director of the Westchester County Historical Society, who has been involved in every stage of this multi-year restoration. After the tour, we will have a leisurely dinner watching an early autumn sunset on the Hudson River. 

Highlights of Saturday include:

• A talk and tour of the WPA murals of Harlem Hospital
• A visit to the 369th Regiment Armory, home to the Harlem Hell Fighters
• Visits to the Harlem River Houses
• The Jackie Robinson (Colonial) Park Play Center
• Lunch at a legendary Harlem Restaurant
• A curator-led private tour of a new exhibition "Art Deco City”
• A visit to Westchester with the county historian to see hidden Deco gems
• A private tour of the just-completed restoration of Rye Playland
• A sunset dinner with water views

Sunday: Herald Square and the Garment Center Historic District

September 29, 2024

Sunday morning, architectural historian Matt Postal leads us through Herald Square and the surrounding Garment Center Historic District, highlighting a varied concentration of sophisticated Art Deco designs by such leading architects as Ely Jacques Kahn, Sugarman & Berger, and William Van Alen. Our route includes such cascading setback skyscrapers as the Bricken Casino Building and Nelson Tower, built for the flourishing apparel industry as showrooms and lofts, as well as the New Yorker Hotel and Navarre Building, both of which retain extraordinary portals to long-forgotten banking establishments.

Following this splendid walking tour, the three-day program will officially conclude with a relaxing bubbly brunch in a stylish restaurant in the heart of the Historic District. (For those on the four-day extended weekend, the program will continue with the Deco icon tour on Monday morning at 9 am.)

Highlights of the day include visits to:

• Four inventively designed buildings by the incomparable Ely Jacques Kahn
• Two different sets of bronze doors that express just how remarkably varied Art Deco ornament and expression could be in its design and execution
• The spacious restored lobby of the New Yorker, once the city's largest hotel
• A trend-setting silk trade building with stunning iron and bronze metalwork by the French master Edgar Brandt
• The venerable Empire State Building, a lofty symbol of civic optimism in the early Depression years
• The Garment District's tallest building trimmed with bands of terracotta ornament suggesting Greek triglyphs
• A streamlined addition to what was once the world's largest department store
• A champagne brunch at an area restaurant that pays homage to the rich history of New York's Garment Center

Monday: Midtown Manhattan’s Deco Icons

September 30, 2024

For those opting for the full four-day experience, this guided look at New York’s Midtown Art Deco icons, led by Anthony W. Robins, takes attendees to such major monuments as the Daily News and Chrysler Buildings and Rockefeller Center, but also visits delightful Deco surprises hidden on Midtown’s less-traveled side streets. This day is ideal for first-timers attending ADSNY's Autumn in New York Art Deco weekend.

Highlights of the day include:

• Visits to all four New York skyscrapers designed by Raymond Hood, a master of modernist design of the 1920s and 30s

• The one-and-only Chrysler Building, whose architect, William Van Alen, was once called the Ziegfeld of his profession

• Stylized Art Deco terracotta by Rene Chambellan, the most sought-after ornamental designer of his day

• The little-known cluster of the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the Beaux-Art apartments, Art Deco in style despite their name

• A respite from the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan over a three-course lunch at a stylish Rockefeller Center restaurant

• After lunch, we enjoy a thorough immersion in that urbane urban wonderland, Rockefeller Center, originally conceived as a home for the Metropolitan Opera but built instead as home to Radio City Music Hall and a dozen Deco towers. We’ll see up close the vision of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who brought together three architectural firms and more than a dozen major artists to create this one-of-a-kind city within a city.

Lodging

ADSNY has arranged special discounts for Autumn in New York attendees at a famed Art Deco-style hotel in the Times Square Area, Hotel Edison, for rooms at $269 per night + tax for a Signature Queen Guestroom and $309 per night + tax for a Signature 2 Queen Guestroom.

You are responsible for booking your own hotel accommodations. Should you wish to extend your stay, the host hotel will honor the discounted rate after the program. While special discounted pricing is arranged for this program at the host hotel, you have the option of lodging anywhere you choose. However, most scheduled activities will begin and end near the host hotel.

Upon receipt of your deposit for the program, ADSNY will provide you with instructions on how to contact the hotel to reserve your discounted room(s). Please check the hotel cancellation policies when booking your stay.

Inclusions, Exclusions, and Details

• All tours
• All admissions
• All gratuities
• A private cocktail reception with stunning Deco views
• All lunches at quintessentially New York restaurants
  
• A special champagne brunch
• A private cocktail reception with stunning Deco views
• Two dinners (One glass of wine included with each dinner)
• Local transportation

Program price does not include:

• Travel to and from New York
• Ground transportation to and from airport/train station
• Hotel accommodations
• Non-scheduled visits and activities
• Trip Insurance*

*ADSNY strongly recommends that you purchase a travel protection plan to protect yourself and your investment in the event of illness prior to or during the trip. When purchasing a policy, please consult a travel agent to review COVID19-related coverage. Insurance companies can be found online.

Registration and Fees

Visitors have the option of selecting a Four-Day or Three-Day Autumn in New York experience. The Four-Day program includes an additional day exploring Midtown Manhattan’s Deco Icons. Those who have previously experienced the Art Deco Society of New York’s Midtown explorations, may choose to take advantage of the Three-Day Program, if they prefer.

Three-Day Program

September 27–29, 2024

Program begins early morning Friday, September 27; attendees are encouraged to arrive Thursday, September 26, for a reception in a private home with a remarkable Deco collection.

• $1,775 per person Early Bird Special - full payment required by July 4th.
• $1,890 per person full payment

Four-Day Program including Midtown Manhattan’s Deco Icons 

September 27–30, 2024

This extended program includes an additional day, Monday, September 30th. 

• $2,350 per person Early Bird Special - full payment required by July 4th.
• $2,495 per person full payment

Space is extremely limited; you are urged to reserve your place quickly!

Credit card Payments

An additional 5.5% per ticket processing fee will be applied to all online payments.

• Click the gold Register button located to the left of the "About the Program" section
• Enter the requested information in the Registration Form and follow the instructions to pay online and complete your registration
• Upon completion of your event registration, an email confirmation will be sent to the email address you used to register. If you do not see this email in your inbox, please check your spam folder
• You will receive an email with the tour's meeting location the week before the program

If you have questions or need further assistance registering for this event, please email events@ArtDeco.org, and let us know if you are registering for the three or four-day option, and we will send you an invoice that can be easily completed without going through the ArtDeco.org website.

Check Payments

• Please email Info@ArtDeco.org to let us know you are mailing your registration
  
• Checks must be made payable to: Art Deco Society of New York
  
• And mailed to: Art Deco Society of New York,  
  P.O. Box 6205, New York, NY  10150-6205

Registration Forms

Each attendee must complete his/her own Registration Form and submit it to ADSNY to secure registration. Hand-signed forms may be scanned and emailed to ADSNY at Info@ArtDeco.org or mailed to the above P.O. Box.

Why tour with the Art Deco Society of New York?

• ADSNY trips reflect the organization’s extensive knowledge and expertise in Art Deco architecture, design, and interwar culture, developed since its incorporation in 1982. All ADSNY programs are carefully curated to provide authentic and unique experiences, with special access to ADSNY’s experts, research, and resources.
• ADSNY tours provide definitive immersive experiences with engaging experts, superb personal service, and experienced trip leaders and local guides.  And when you travel with ADSNY, you can be sure that your safety and well-being are always our top priority.
• ADSNY’s expert tour guides, who are extremely knowledgeable about each area of interest, make enjoyable and engaging learning the core of every trip.
• Each of ADSNY’s trips attract informed, intellectually curious, and adventurous Art Deco enthusiasts who share your passion for learning and exploration. 
• ADSNY provides small groups with big experiences. Now more than ever, the idea of traveling with a small group of fellow enthusiasts is reassuring. ADSNY’s trips allow you to get to know fellow travelers and trip leaders. 
• ADSNY’s trips include recognized experts leading all guided tours, access to private spaces, all lunches and dinners, local transportation, and a knowledgeable ADSNY representative with the group each day to provide you with one-on-one service, so you are ensured an exceptional experience.  
• When you travel with ADSNY, your participation benefits the work of ADSNY, an important non-profit organization. You are supporting ADSNY’s educational mission to preserve New York’s Art Deco heritage, spread interwar knowledge, and share our resources.

You have the comfort of knowing you are traveling with an organization committed to sustaining and celebrating the special Deco character of New York and all the cities we visit through our use of distinctive local guides, consultation with local experts, and in our choice of dining experiences and accommodations. 

• Though positivity rates are declining, an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public space where people are present. Those joining ADSNY'S in-person programming do so at their own risk to such exposure. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out at Info@ArtDeco.org.

ADSNY strongly recommends that you purchase a travel protection plan to protect yourself and your investment in the event of illness prior to or during the trip, and to obtain additional medical coverage while on the tour. When purchasing a policy, please consult with a travel insurance agent to review COVID-19 -related coverage. Insurance companies can be found online.

Cancellations, Responsibility, and Release

All payments are final, there are no refunds or exchanges. The Art Deco Society of New York (ADSNY) strongly recommends that you purchase trip cancellation insurance. Insurance companies offering cancellation policies can be found online.

Payment of your fee represents your acceptance of the following terms and conditions. ADSNY shall not be liable and does not assume responsibility for any claims, damages, expenses or other financial loss whether to person or property arising out of any illness, injury, accident, death, cancellation, delay, alteration, or inconvenience resulting from any act of omission, commission, or inadvertence of any hotel, carrier, restaurant, or other company or person rendering any of the services included in the tour or its pre- and post-tour arrangements, or caused by weather, sickness, strikes, or the willful or negligent acts of any other tour members or any cause whatsoever beyond the control of ADSNY. It is understood that there may be changes in the itinerary subject to weather or unexpected circumstances. In all cases, ADSNY will make every attempt to substitute other events of equal value and interest. By registering for this program, you confirm that you agree to follow all safety protocols outlined in the program materials. ADSNY events may be photographed or recorded by ADSNY. By attending this program, you consent to the use of your image and voice by ADSNY for all non-commercial, nonprofit purposes.

PHOTO CREDITS: RICHARD BERENHOLTZ, ANDREW MOORE