Holdouts: A NYC Architecture Walking Tour
- 2–3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
This 2.5 hour walking tour around the Midtown Manhattan shows-and-tells the fascinating stories of holdouts—the intriguing side effect of Manhattan's pressure cooker real estate industry: when a property owner (or lease holder) refused to sell to a developer, forced them to rework their plans, and forever changed the city streetscape. Stories, like the elderly lady who never knew any other home; or the poker player-like landlord who overplayed his hand; or the restauranteur whose long term lease (justifiably) demanded budget-busting sums, all add a human dimension to these transactional anomalies. And personal stories that were otherwise lost, are awesomely amplified by the everlasting impression left behind: seemingly ill-planned entrances for skyscrapers, odd shaped buildings, 20-story tall notches in office towers, are just some of the 16 examples of holdouts we'll see. This tour is based on the book, Holdouts! By Alpern and Durst.
Inclusions
What's included
- Professional guide
What's not
- Gratuities
Itinerary
We start in lower lobby of this distinctive building where we'll lay the groundwork for the tour, where we'll go and what we'll see. The building itself is the result of holdouts, and our first subject.
A fascinating ego building
Not a holdout, but a fascinating story is associated with the construction of this building, whose main pillar supports are not in the corners, but in the middle of the side.
An old buggy whip factory, and a holdout.
If this oases is open at the time of the tour, we stop in for a moment. A time capsule where histories clash and the city meets the suburbs - - a much earlier one!
This notorious site of a mob hit is next door to an interesting holdout.
Stunning views of this stunning landmark are had along here.
We view the Secretariet Building down the block as we continue to pass and discuss holdouts and how they've influenced the streetscapes today.
We end our downtown part of the walk at 42nd Street, where a single holdout survived history.
As we make our way to the west side and the uptown portion of the tour we will pass through Grand Central. While not associated with a any holdouts, a mini-tour of this iconic landmark is very possible.
This city-in-a-building was still under construction at this writing.
This historic New York City institution had a holdout as a neighbor.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 534
- 41
- 30
- 20
- 11
Ratings come from 36 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Lower level lobby
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 5 travellers
- Operated by
- Manhattan Unlocked Historical and Architectural Walking Tours
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes
How it compares in New York City
- Its from-price is 50% below the median of the 692 city tours we list in New York City.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 181 of 692.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About New York City
New York City packs skyscrapers, famous museums, Broadway theatres and dozens of distinct neighbourhoods into five boroughs that hum day and night.
Manhattan is the classic first stop. Times Square glows above the theatre district, Central Park stretches for blocks between the Upper East and Upper West Sides, and the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center define the midtown skyline. Downtown, the 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge sit close together, and boats run out past the Statue of Liberty to Ellis Island.
Top-ranked sights in New York City: Statue of Liberty, Central Park, National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Special offers in New York City
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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