Penny Hardy's Book Documents New York's Pandemic Dining Sheds as a New Street Typology
Pandemic Architecture: NYC Dining Sheds 2020-2024, authored by Penny Hardy, showcases images of dining sheds that emerged in New York amid the Covid-19 crisis. Documented in Downtown Manhattan, these structures remained in use after the lockdowns from 2020 to 2021. The book features essays by Michael Bullock and Fred Bernstein, which emphasize a new model for public spaces, transforming streets from mere transit routes into vibrant social areas. Hardy observes the varied designs of the sheds, reflecting the ingenuity and humor of restaurant proprietors. Although many have been dismantled due to New York's safety regulations, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recent endorsement for year-round setups could reignite creativity stifled by winter expenses. Hardy believes these sheds have fundamentally changed how we view the streetscape.
Key facts
- Penny Hardy's book Pandemic Architecture: NYC Dining Sheds 2020-2024 documents dining sheds installed in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Hardy photographed the sheds in Downtown Manhattan during the height of the pandemic and afterward, as many remained up for years after the 2020 to 2021 lockdowns.
- The book contains dozens of examples by Hardy and essays by New York writers Michael Bullock and Fred Bernstein.
- Many sheds have since been deconstructed as the city implements a standardised shed programme to maintain safety and sanitation standards.
- New York mayor Zohran Mamdani recently cleared the legal way for year-round installation of dining sheds.
- Hardy says the structures created a new typology for building in public space and changed how streets are used.
- Hardy notes that restaurant owners' resourcefulness, humour, and wildly different tastes made streets more varied and alive.
- The book was published by Rizzoli and is available through the Rizzoli Bookstore.
Entities
Artists
- Penny Hardy
- Michael Bullock
- Fred Bernstein
- Robert Venturi
- Denise Scott Brown
- Zohran Mamdani
Institutions
- Dezeen
- Rizzoli
- Rizzoli Bookstore
- Home Depot
- Julius
- Baby John
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Downtown Manhattan
- Greenwich Village
- West Village
- Little Italy
- Chinatown
- SoHo
- NoHo
- Flatiron
- Nolita
Sources
- Dezeen —