Legal Name Of Organization
New York Foundation for Architecture, Inc.
Purpose Of Funds
Funds will supplement the creation of a student researched, designed and recorded cell phone walking tour highlighting the architecture of Soho. 7th – 9th grade students in the CFA Foundation's summer program will explore the SoHo neighborhood, famous today as a center for art and fashion and home to many of NYC’s beautiful 19th century cast-iron buildings. Students will uncover the stories these buildings and streets have to tell, and work together to create a cell phone guide to the neighborhood for the general public to enjoy any time of the year. The Soho tour will be created in conjunction with the Center for Architecture's "Architecture in Historic Districts" exhibition that will be on display this fall. "Architecture in Historic Districts" will examine the many facets of five of the City’s historic landscape, including Soho. Hardcopy maps of the cell phone tour will be available at the Center for Architecture (within walking distance of Soho) and digital copies will be available on-line for downloading, giving exhibition visitors and the general public the opportunity to broaden their experience of Soho. This project will enable students to be become teachers, sharing their new found knowledge with those interested in learning more about Soho. The tour will be free and accessible to anyone with a cell phone. Last year we piloted a student-created cell phone tour focusing on the immigrant history of Bleecker St. that was very well received. The cell-phone guide curriculum is one of CFAF’s new initiatives that not only teaches students about architecture but informs the general public, making architecture and design of NYC more accessible for all. We hope that this new cell-phone tour will also be well received and pave the way for more to come. We expect an average of 25,000 visitors to the “Architecture in Historic Districts” exhibit who will also be informed about the tour. In addition, it will be posted on our website for the general public to download.
