Since the ill-fated Tower of Babel, mankind has been powerfully attracted to the idea of buildings rising into the clouds. The Empire State Building and the Sears Tower still rank among the world’s tallest and most famous buildings, while the latest contenders for the “world’s tallest” title rise close to a quarter mile into the sky. Why so high? Was it strictly dollars and cents? Or was something more at play? This illustrated journey across a century and a half of the race to the top pays special attention to the design and construction of the Trade Center.

This walk through the east side of Midtown South includes an unusual collection of buildings, each different from the next.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

A meandering walk across the upper west tracts of the Upper West Side, looking at Art Deco marvels from West 85th to 103rd streets, Broadway to Riverside Drive.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Reservations required. Rockefeller Center — New York’s urbane urban wonderland — is full of surprising history, remarkable art and stunning architecture. Conceived as a new home for the Metropolitan Opera, but built instead as Radio City, Rockefeller Center is a private real estate venture that has evolved into the public square of Midtown Manhattan.

Reservations required. Rockefeller Center — New York’s urbane urban wonderland — is full of surprising history, remarkable art and stunning architecture. Conceived as a new home for the Metropolitan Opera, but built instead as Radio City, Rockefeller Center is a private real estate venture that has evolved into the public square of Midtown Manhattan.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Visit the publicly accessible interiors of half a dozen Art Deco marvels: the Daily News Building, the Chrysler Building, the Chanin Building, the General Electric Building, the Waldorf-Astoria, and the RCA (then GE, and soon to be COMCAST) Building at Rockefeller Center.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

We ride the rails from the Battery to Midtown, and consider the three major phases of subway design: the original 1904 IRT, the Dual Contracts extensions of the ‘teens and the modernistic Independent Line that opened in 1932, with a peek at a ’70s redesign by Philip Johnson. Don’t miss the tour that CBS News called one of the five best art walks in New York!

Lecture covering the great skyscrapers of architects Raymond Hood, William Van Alen, Ely Jacques Kahn, and Ralph Walker, then tracing the adaptation of this “skyscraper style” through apartment buildings on the Bronx’s Grand Concourse, airport terminals at LaGuardia, the Central Park West residential skyline, automated midtown parking garages, diners, hotels, department stores, banks and theaters.

Learn how to unearth detailed information about New York City buildings in this MAS seminar now in its 29th year. Four evening sessions plus a morning field-trip.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Learn how to unearth detailed information about New York City buildings in this MAS seminar now in its 29th year. Four evening sessions plus a morning field-trip.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Learn how to unearth detailed information about New York City buildings in this MAS seminar now in its 29th year. Four evening sessions plus a morning field-trip.

Visit the publicly accessible interiors of half a dozen Art Deco marvels: the Daily News Building, the Chrysler Building, the Chanin Building, the General Electric Building, the Waldorf-Astoria, and the RCA (then GE, and soon to be COMCAST) Building at Rockefeller Center.

Learn how to unearth detailed information about New York City buildings in this MAS seminar now in its 29th year. Four evening sessions plus a morning field-trip.

SoHo today is home to the world’s greatest trove of cast-iron buildings. This tour considers the district’s original architecture as well as new Commission-approved additions.

The great Broadway theaters are stunning works of art in themselves as well as monuments to the lively history of American theater. During the 1980s, their fate hung in balance as the city sought redevelopment to clean up Times Square. The Landmarks Commission designated most of the surviving theaters, many of which have since undergone major restorations. Your guide led the staff effort to document the theaters’ architecture and history.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

On February 1st, 1913, the brand-new Grand Central Terminal opened its doors to an admiring public. On February 1st, 2013, the beautifully restored Terminal – rescued from destruction by a seminal 1978 Supreme Court decision – celebrated its Centennial, accompanied by exhibitions, events, and a new book: Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York […]

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

The Empire State Building and the Sears Tower still rank among the world’s tallest and most famous buildings. In the 20th century, it was the American skyscraper that regularly pushed the limit – from the Singer, Met Life and Woolworth buildings to the Chrysler and the Empire State, and eventually the World Trade Center and Sears Tower. Plans for the World Trade Center site have focused worldwide attention on such monuments, raising the question: why so high?

On February 1, 2013, the beautifully restored Grand Central Terminal celebrated its centennial, accompanied by exhibitions, events and the new book, Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark. The terminal’s creation combined engineering bravado, technological wizardry and real estate savvy with innovative planning and Paris-inspired Beaux-Arts design. This illustrated lecture brings the terminal to life – its remarkable history, stunning architecture and central role in creating Midtown Manhattan. Free and open to the public.

This year, 2015, marks the 50th anniversary of New York City’s Landmarks Law. Explore major moments in the growth of the preservation movement in four walks.