Few subjects can be more convoluted than western architecture. This tour seeks to streamline and simplify that otherwise confounding history.

The tour begins at 10am with a sit down in the public space of 60 Wall Street where over the course of a 20 minute whirlwind narrative we’ll cover the historical roots from which nearly all architectural styles derive. The Classical world of the Greeks and Romans, the Romanesque, the Gothic, and the Renaissance are some of the styles that will be put into a context that not only explains how they relate to each other in actual history, but how they would give rise to each other, manifesting in western architecture. Buildings for home or work (or both), through eras of brick and mortar, cast iron, glass and steel, were built in fashions that not only tell their age and era, but together reveal a great cycling and recycling of history.

Wall Street itself, already a cornucopia of history, is flush with an incredible array of architectural history. But the real secret sauce of this tour is the exploration of an area few tourists--and even New Yorkers themselves--have visited or even know of: The Insurance District. The blocks between Wall Street and City Hall are a wonky “grid” of blocks that contain a greater variety of building styles than any other neighborhood in the city, if not the country.  And while the cacophony of brick and mortar, stone clad and steel frame buildings on streets as wide as horse carts can initially strike one as a visual nightmare, no where else can one see so much architectural history in so few steps.

When the tour is finished, various styles and their associated ornament will be made clear and accessible: Georgian and Federal styles, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival, French Second Empire, Neogrec, Neogothic, Romanesque, Beaux Arts, Baroque, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Art Moderne, Modern and post-modern. And for the few styles that are not contained within the neighborhood, pictures will complete the architectural picture.

Additional Information

• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund
• Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund

• Local guide
• Professional guide

• Gratuities (optional)