AIA New York is currently offering a limited number of virtual and in-person walking tours. Please check back regularly for new additions, as we hope to expand our offerings into the summer and fall. See our current health and safety policies for in-person tours here. Please email tours@aiany.org with any questions.
AIA New York organizes over 20 a number of different walking tours throughout Manhattan and the boroughs, with a special focus on modern and contemporary architecture. Expert guides, all members of the AIA New York Chapter, walk intimate groups of visitors through some of New York City’s most distinctive neighborhoods, exploring the city’s rich history and stunning new buildings, as well as creative examples of adaptive reuse, urban planning, and development.
Upcoming Walking Tours
In-Person Tour: Madison Avenue, High Fashion and Historic Preservation
Meet at the Madison Avenue BID offices: THIRD FLOOR, 29 East 61 Street, New York, NY 10065
Join AIANY and the Madison Avenue BID as we set out in person to discover the history behind Madison Avenue’s landmark buildings, and explore how high-fashion retail has been incorporated into the district to create a world famous shopping destination. The area evolved from brownstones built in the 1870s and 1880s to lavish Beaux Arts townhouses by celebrated architects such as McKim, Mead & White, Carrère & Hastings, and Ernest Flagg, to luxury apartment buildings designed by Rosario Candela, Emery Roth, and others. Since early in the 20th century, many of those historic residential buildings have been transformed to accommodate prestigious stores. The tour will examine architecture from 1870 to the present on and near Madison in the East 60s and 70s, an area entirely within the Upper East Side Historic District, and consider how landmark designation has preserved the avenue’s distinctive character.
This monthly tour is offered in partnership with the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), a public-private partnership established in 1996, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for the community and its visitors. The BID focuses on public safety, sanitation, promotion and advocacy for the district—striving to make Madison Avenue a more attractive and dynamic place in which to shop, live, work and visit.
AIANY Guide: John Arbuckle, Assoc. AIA
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Health and Safety Guidelines:
The safety and comfort of our guides and guests is our number one priority. By registering for this tour, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to the following guidelines:
- Face masks will be required for all during the introductory remarks inside the Madision Avenue BID offices. Once outside, vaccinated individuals may remove masks. In accordance with CDC guidelines, unvacccincated guests must please wear a mask throughout the tour.
- Maintaining six feet of distance from the guide and anyone not in your party is strongly encouraged.
Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your guide requesting that you kindly leave the tour group. Refunds will not be provided for tours canceled due to a failure to comply with safety guidelines.
AIANY cannot be held liable and assumes no responsibility for any injury or loss incurred by participants in these programs.
Walking Tour: Morningside Heights (In Person)
Student with Valid ID: $20
General Public: $30
Meet at the Peace Fountain east of the intersection of West 111th Street & Amsterdam Avenue on the grounds of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
The tour will begin with the neighborhood’s oldest extant structure, the Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum designed by Ithiel Town. The main focus will be Columbia University’s campus, from Charles Follen McKim’s masterplan to today. We will view and discuss buildings by Ralph Adams Cram, Handel Architects, James Stewart Polshek, Harrison & Abramovitz, Bernard Tschumi, SOM, Weiss/Manfredi, Rafael Moneo and others.
Tours will run rain or shine. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour start time. Registration is limited to 15; walk-ups are not guaranteed a spot on the tour. This tour is approved for 2.5 LU/HSW in AIA CES.
AIANY Guide: John Arbuckle, Assoc. AIA
In-Person Tour: Madison Avenue, High Fashion and Historic Preservation
Meet at the Madison Avenue BID offices: THIRD FLOOR, 29 East 61 Street, New York, NY 10065
Join AIANY and the Madison Avenue BID as we set out in person to discover the history behind Madison Avenue’s landmark buildings, and explore how high-fashion retail has been incorporated into the district to create a world famous shopping destination. The area evolved from brownstones built in the 1870s and 1880s to lavish Beaux Arts townhouses by celebrated architects such as McKim, Mead & White, Carrère & Hastings, and Ernest Flagg, to luxury apartment buildings designed by Rosario Candela, Emery Roth, and others. Since early in the 20th century, many of those historic residential buildings have been transformed to accommodate prestigious stores. The tour will examine architecture from 1870 to the present on and near Madison in the East 60s and 70s, an area entirely within the Upper East Side Historic District, and consider how landmark designation has preserved the avenue’s distinctive character.
This monthly tour is offered in partnership with the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), a public-private partnership established in 1996, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for the community and its visitors. The BID focuses on public safety, sanitation, promotion and advocacy for the district—striving to make Madison Avenue a more attractive and dynamic place in which to shop, live, work and visit.
AIANY Guide: John Arbuckle, Assoc. AIA
—
Health and Safety Guidelines:
The safety and comfort of our guides and guests is our number one priority. By registering for this tour, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to the following guidelines:
- Face masks will be required for all during the introductory remarks inside the Madision Avenue BID offices. Once outside, vaccinated individuals may remove masks. In accordance with CDC guidelines, unvacccincated guests must please wear a mask throughout the tour.
- Maintaining six feet of distance from the guide and anyone not in your party is strongly encouraged.
Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your guide requesting that you kindly leave the tour group. Refunds will not be provided for tours canceled due to a failure to comply with safety guidelines.
AIANY cannot be held liable and assumes no responsibility for any injury or loss incurred by participants in these programs.
Health and Safety Guidelines
The safety and comfort of our guides and guests is our number one priority. By registering for this tour, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to the following guidelines:
- For the time being, face masks will be required on AIANY walking tours, regardless of vaccination status.
- Maintaining six feet of distance from the guide and anyone not in your party is strongly encouraged.
Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your guide requesting that you kindly leave the tour group. Refunds will not be provided for tours canceled due to a failure to comply with safety guidelines. Please note that this tour will take place completely outdoors, and tour groups will be limited to 10 people or fewer.
AIANY cannot be held liable and assumes no responsibility for any injury or loss incurred by participants in these programs.
Accessibility
Please note that AIANY walking tours are not ADA accessible. However, since accessibility requirements can vary person to person, please email tours@aiany.org prior to purchasing your tickets for more information.