New York/Amster Yard

Amster Yard/Instituto Cervantes (4x5 film)
East 49th Street between Second and Third Avenues

Been busy the last few days shooting for the Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish cultural institute, which occupies a group of small buildings that surround the Amster Yard. The Amster Yard is a rare thing in New York, a courtyard/garden tucked into the middle of a block, open to the public.

New York Times article about the restoration of the space.

Apparently, the work entailed the complete rebuilding of several structures around the garden rather than actual restoration. In the Netherlands, where I livd part time for 15 years, I saw a completely different attitude about restoration of historic buildings than in New York. It was common for historic structures to be meticulously rebuilt from the ground up, sometimes at the cost of the patina of age. On the other hand, in New York, there is a tendency to sentimentalize the past--perhaps because it disappears so quickly--although there is now a willingness to accomodate the immediate juxtapostion of new and old.

In any case, the Amster Yard, along with the activities of the Instituto Cervantes, is a welcome oasis open to the public on East 49th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.