New Yorkers get rare glimpse inside normally-private buildings and gardens

The former terminal is to be transformed into a hotel (Reuters)

A community garden on top of a former squat, the old Trans World Airlines terminal, and Google's new offices were among hundreds of normally-private locations that were thrown open to the public.

At the TWA terminal at JFK Airport, visitors were able to cast their eyes on the 1962-built terminal, which was used by the airline until it went bankrupt in 2001. The terminal, designed by Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen, is now poised to be turned into a 500-room hotel.

Each year, former TWA employees wearing their old uniforms are among those who return to the modern-style building, which first opened during John F Kennedy’s presidency.

The garden at the Umbrella House was established on the roof of a former squatted building (Nisha Saxena)

“We know that there are people flying into New York City to see that building,” said Gregory Wessner, executive director of Open House New York, which organises the annual event, aimed at "transforming the city into a living museum of design".

“This year, I think there’s a special attraction to it.”

At the Umbrella House in the city’s Lower East Side, this weekend's visitors walked up six flights of stairs to enjoy the views, and the community garden that has been established in the former squatted building. The garden is maintained on a voluntary basis by the residents, and the food it produces is shared.

Taumo Biltsted moved to the area in 1985 when, he said, it “looked like Beirut”. The former squatted building was legalised in 2000.

“Two or three meals a week come from produce from the garden,” he said.

Nearby, visitors walked through the Marble Cemtery, the oldest non-sectarian burial ground in the city and home to 156 underground vaults. The last burial was in 1937.