Archtober, New York City’s architecture and design month and an annual festival of architecture activities, programs, and exhibitions, has officially begun. Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with a slew of partners and sponsors (like us!), the festival brings together events such as daily building tours and lectures by design experts, as well as architecture-themed competitions and parties.
Archtober began in 2003 when the American Institute of Architects New York opened the Center for Architecture and unveiled New York in an all-new way to architecture aficionados. For the next seven years, Architecture Week took place in the second week of October. In 2010, the Architecture & Design Film Festival hosted its first New York event the following week. These events and many others were consolidated into a month-long celebration, Archtober was launched in 2011 and now includes a larger collective of local architecture and design organizations. The Center for Architecture hosts Building of the Day tours of notable contemporary and historic buildings. Notable buildings featured in Building of the Day tours include SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the Brooklyn Tower, and Queens Museum Panorama.
Untapped New York will lead a plethora of talks and virtual and in-person tours about New York’s architecture and history. The first event is our virtual talk about the secrets of the Chrysler Building. We will virtually visit this New York icon and uncover some of its more quirky secrets. From the myth of it being made of hubcaps to the secret and stealthy installation of the building’s spire, we will explore it all. The event is free for Untapped New York Insiders and $10 for the general public.
Other events to check out include the Architecture and Design Film Festival, AIANY Around Manhattan Architecture Boat Tour, Center for Architecture’s Little Island Tour, and plaque unveiling of the former East Village residence of Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, among many others. Check out the full list of Archtober events here!
