In the winter of 2022, I was working as a manager of a jazz club in Bushwick.  Having recently graduated from architecture school and taking some time off to thaw out my brain and explore New York and all its different communities.  My two bosses and mentors at the time were world renowned jazz figures Mitchell Borden and Rie Yamaguchi-Borden. They approached me with the idea to build an enclosed outdoor rooftop on our pre-existing deck that also needed to be restored.  Knowing I was an architecture school graduate, they gave me the push I needed to stay true to my art (as they do with all the artists within their reach). 

The project needed to refurbish the existing deck and add a roof structure that had a minimal budget.  I was lead designer and constructed it with my two good friends, Steve Nelson and Aliya Al-Adwani.  Steve is a part time carpenter, full time guitarist and Aliya graduated architecture school with me and is now a thriving artist in New York.  The three of us built the rooftop in the winter of 2022-2023 while it was too cold to occupy the space and it was opened in early spring.  The upstairs patio is vital to the club because it allows for a covered social space since while music is playing the club is a listening room and talking is limited.  Ornithology is not just a space for jazz but all art forms and having the space to connect and discuss art, life, and New York is what makes the club vital for jazz and art alike.