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Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour

37 Reviews 5.00 out of 5 stars Based on 37 reviews collected by Cool New York City and TripAdvisor |
Recommended by 100% of reviewers
100% of reviewers gave this experience a rating of 4 or higher.
|
Badge of Excellence |Badge of Excellence This experience is highly rated by travelers and has met our top quality standards. New York City, USA
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from $59 per person

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Don't miss out!
On average, this is booked 27 (0) days in advance.
2 to 3 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Instant confirmation

Overview

This Midtown Manhattan walking tour is a comprehensive look at the city's historical development as told through the buildings themselves. Fascinating strands of social, cultural, technological, real estate and zoning law histories are woven together in this wide and deep look New York's Midtown art and architecture.

What's Included

  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities
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Meeting Location

Meeting point

810 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10019, USA

Show on Google Maps

Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.

End point

New York
NY 10022, USA

Tour ends east of Tiffany's on 57th Street with views of Billionaire's Row

What To Expect

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Our secure website provides real-time availability, instant confirmation, and free, no-hassle cancellations up to 24 hours before your tour begins.
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Safe & secure • Easy breezy • Hassle-free

Eighth Avenue

We begin at the boundary of Hells Kitchen and Times Square with an overview of the city's historic move uptown. We cover the basics of historical (academic) architecture up to the Modern period, and from overblown Beaux Arts to ornament-free skyscrapers. We learn the fundamentals of zoning in this POPS (Privately Owned Public Space). Works by Sidney Simon and Matt Mullican.
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15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

350 W 50th St

The subway station below Worldwide Plaza is an example of evolving zoning law history; incised granite by Matt Mullican is part of the program.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

citizenM New York Times Square Hotel

On the way to Citizen M and Julian Opie's larger-than-life wall art we scan the skyline for Hearst Tower and the New York Times Building.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Times Square (pass by)

We stop at the Allianz Building and Warner Music Group to take in the view of Times Square from the north. Zoning laws achieved a look inspired by Tokyo!
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The Brill Building

We use the Brill Building to launch into a short discussion the role Times Square and much of today's Midtown played (and still do) as holding almost a monopoly on the history of American culture: Music, theater, radio, television, books, magazines, newspapers, advertising, even automobiles.
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

BNP Paribas

We pass the Winter Garden, the Taft Hotel, and the building that inspired the song MONY MONY. We transition into private corporate space in the lobby of 787 7th Avenue and we go from commercial culture to corporate commercial. Expensive art and monumental feats of architecture are the mainstays of the remainder of the tour. Roy Lichtenstein opens us to the world of corporate art appropriately with Mural with Blue Brushstroke, a work he painted in place before the building opened. Out back in the POPS are works by Sol Le Witt and Barry Flannagan.
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

6 1/2 Avenue

We look as far uptown as we can along this 6-block long quirk in zoning, so-called "6 1/2 Avenue," a mid-block arcade that doesn't quite connect Times Square with Central Park.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

UBS Art Gallery

They have a world renown collection and their lobby is divided between temporary and permanent exhibits that include Frank Stella and Sarah Morris.
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

1271 Avenue of the Americas

The lobby of the Time and Life building is a Modern classic with its stainless steel panels and terrazzo floor. Large wall art by Fritz Glarner, a student of Mondrian.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Exxon Building (pass by)

Monumental is the common theme to works by Hiroshu Senju and Kan Yasuda. Outside on the plaza is La Gran Manzana.
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Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas)

We stop in 1221 (the McGraw Hill building) the see a work by visual artist Mark Bradford. Out onto Sixth Avenue stand below "Skyscraper Alley," some of the worst products wrought by man and zoning law. Across the street begins the art and architecture, and story Rockefeller Center, one of the greatest civic-minded entrepreneurial (seriously) projects in modern history. The Art Deco of Rockefeller Center would come to define the style. Most interesting to point out are the subtle shifts from the "Modernistic" (Art Deco) to the Modern as the project progressed after the passing of Raymond Hood.
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Radio City Music Hall

We learn the origin story of the name for every venue today named Roxy.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rockefeller Center (pass by)

The politics of the day, and the Rockefeller family dynamic, are the most interesting backstories to the art history of likely the most important corporate lobby in Modern history. The story of radio and David Sarnoff is also integral to the story.
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The Rink at Rockefeller Center

Art and architecture reach their apex outside where the Christmas tree goes every year. There is a mix-bag of interesting history: holdouts, Diego Rivera and the Rockefellers, the story of the ice-skating rink and perhaps the greatest reversal-of-fortune in Rockefeller Center history.
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rockefeller Center

The lobby of the International Building is a work of art itself. Light and Movement by Michio Lhaza are the wall "center pieces." Atlas by Lee Lawrie stands outside facing St. Pat's
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The history of Fifth Avenue is told through its buildings.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lotte New York Palace (pass by)

As we make our way to Park Avenue we pass striking juxtapositions of the Modern and the Beaux Arts. the Villard Houses are now the Palace Hotel.
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Park Avenue

Architecture. We learn the evolution of Park Avenue from open train tracks, to high end residential, to today's corporate buildings. Buildings discussed are: The Health and Racquet Club (1918), St. Bart's (1919), The New York Central Building (1929), The Waldorf Astoria (1931), The GE Building (1931), Lever House (1952), The Seagram Building (1958), and the Met Life Building (1963).
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5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Christie's Sculpture Garden

535 Madison Avenue is hat trick for architecture, zoning laws, and works by three French artists, about 20 years apart: Leger, DuBuffet, and Francois-Xavier LaLannes.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Papillon Bistro & Bar

A fascinating example of a "successful" holdout in New York's high pressure real estate market. A great option for lunch or dinner after the tour.
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2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

550 Madison Ave (pass by)

A Philip Johnson Building with a recently re-designed, and likely the most spectacular outdoor POPS in the city. If there's time we can go inside to see Solid Sky by Alicia Kwade.
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590 Madison Avenue (pass by)

The IBM Building's POPS is regularly the most highly-rated in the city. Applefest pieces.
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244 5th Ave

Finally, we exit onto 57th Street where we end the tour beneath Billionaire's Row, skinny residential towers that are the latest redesign of the Manhattan skyline; astronomical heights and prices.
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3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Show 22 more stops

Additional Info

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Frequently Asked Questions (8)

Q: Will I get seasick on Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour?

A: If you have any doubts about becoming seasick on the water, we recommend taking a Dramamine® Motion Sickness Relief tablet the night before your trip. Some people recommend taking it the night before your cruise and then again that morning so you will not feel so drowsy. Read more Feb 2023

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

Still have questions?

We're here to help.
Activity code: C-44899P3

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

5.00
37 reviews

Average 5.00 out of 5 stars based on 37 traveler reviews collected by Cool New York City and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

5 stars
37
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Don't miss out!
On average, this is booked 27 (0) days in advance.
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Frequently Asked Questions (8)

Activity name

The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from Cool New York City customers.

Filter by:

Q: Will I get seasick on Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour?
A:

If you have any doubts about becoming seasick on the water, we recommend taking a Dramamine® Motion Sickness Relief tablet the night before your trip. Some people recommend taking it the night before your cruise and then again that morning so you will not feel so drowsy.

Feb 2023
Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour?
A:
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.
  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (EDT).
  • This tour requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Apr 2025
Q: What's included in the price?
A:
The following is included:
  • Professional guide.
The following is NOT included:
  • Gratuities.
Apr 2025
Q: What is the weather cancellation policy?
A:

This tour requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Apr 2025
Q: What is the minimum age for this tour?
A:

The minimum age to participate is 12. This tour requires at least one adult to accompany children..

Apr 2025
Q: My date is not available in the calendar, I am just checking to see if it is available?
A:

If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.

If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.

Apr 2025
Q: Is this an accessible tour?
A:

Accessibility information for the Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour is as follows:

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Apr 2025
Q: Where is the meeting point for this activity?
A:

Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour will be included in your confirmation email from Cool New York City. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!

 

 

Mar 2024

What's Included

Activity name

  • Professional guide
  • Gratuities

Additional Info

Activity name

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travelers

Report Product Issue

Activity name