Park Avenue Armory

The story

The Armory has been turned into one of New York's leading alternative spaces for art, and the contrast is the point: ornate historic interiors set against contemporary projects commissioned by the nonprofit arts organization that runs it, operating here as the Thompson Arts Center. Its program includes New York premieres of groundbreaking works of theater and opera. The centerpiece is the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, a huge, dramatic space that shapes every performance before it begins. Installations here have included Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's clinamen, a soothing work of moving bowls whose sound carries even through a crowd. The Armory also hosts the Winter Show, where antique dealers, jewelers and galleries from cities including Amsterdam, London and New York gather under one roof.