One of my first experiences with the magic of Al happened in 2008 after a floor meeting at MEx, the collective of architects and urban designers on the 6th floor of 33 Flatbush. At the meeting, people agreed that one of the walls in our space was in the way and should be removed. We decided to start a conversation with Al to see if he was open to the idea.
Al happened to walk by toward the end of the meeting. This seemed to happen a lot. He was always curious about what people were working on, talking about, thinking about. We asked him about removing the wall. He said “Sure, no problem.” A few minutes later he comes back with a gasoline powered saw, and in a few minutes after that, the wall was in pieces, ready to be carried away.
Al and his space were so supportive and so flexible that it made 33 Flatbush feel like a place where anything was possible. Over and over again, Al would rearrange his stuff and his space to make room for the latest kinetic sculpture, fish farm or science lab that somebody wanted to build.
The photo is of Genspace, the first DIYbio lab in the United States, on the 7th floor.