Meet at the front steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave at 112th Street.
Best known as the site of Columbia University, Morningside Heights can well be described as an institutional acropolis. It is also home to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Barnard College, the Union Theological Seminary, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Riverside Church, the Manhattan School of Music, and St. Luke’s Hospital, now renamed Mount Sinai Morningside. Bounded by Riverside Park and Morningside Park, the elevated area boasts a great variety of notable institutional architecture spanning from 1842 to the present, including works by nationally recognized architects.
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, spanning 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 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.
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 remarks made inside. 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.
Cancellation Policy:
AIANY Walking tours take place rain or shine, please dress for the weather. There are no refunds, cancellations, or exchanges, unless we cancel a tour.
AIA New York
